


Daylight

by rezuuroar



Category: Naruto
Genre: Based on a Taylor Swift Song, Canon Compliant, Doctor Haruno Sakura, F/M, Family Feels, Feels, Fluff and Angst, Hokage Uzumaki Naruto, Inspired by Taylor Swift, Post-Canon, Song: Afterglow (Taylor Swift), Song: Daylight (Taylor Swift), Uchiha Sasuke & Uzumaki Naruto Friendship, Uchiha Sasuke Returns to Konoha, Uchiha Sasuke-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-10
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:13:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 27
Words: 159,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25179766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rezuuroar/pseuds/rezuuroar
Summary: Sasuke has long forgotten his quest for revenge thanks to Naruto. He can now finally move on to accept what life has to offer. Read on as Sasuke navigates his feelings to understand different forms of love. Inspired by Taylor Swift's song' 'Daylight'. All characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto. Watch my AMV which motivated me to write this story: https://youtu.be/XwK5LYX2Gkw
Relationships: Haruno Sakura/Uchiha Sasuke
Comments: 10
Kudos: 65





	1. Chapter 1

<https://youtu.be/XwK5LYX2Gkw>

Daybreak

Wind breezing through his hair as black as coal, as if whispering soothing words to the fine strands that swayed atop his head glinting with sweat. That was the first thing he felt as he slipped back into consciousness. Next was the hard floor beneath him, a mattress of broken rubble embracing his body. And finally came the inevitable throb of his phantom left arm just where his elbow would be.. The pain throbbed.

But as he looked to his left, his friend, his brother, smiled a wide grin as if missing an arm was the best prize one could ever be gifted. But maybe it was. Maybe Naruto was right. Maybe that was the price to pay - a sacrifice - to finally bring Sasuke back to his senses. Not that Sasuke believed it was fair for Naruto having to suffer for Sasuke's sins and crimes that had engulfed the shinobi world making him an international criminal.

Sasuke's change of heart surprised himself. He had resigned his quest for revenge and instead traded it to become a Naruto's partner in helping to shape a world away from darkness, and into... into... Sasuke couldn't quite catch the right word.

His onyx eyes shifted to Naruto's and his own blood seeping together to form the bond that this battle signified. And again shifted to the blonde hair atop his best friend's head glowing in the daylight.

Daylight.

The word stuck in Sasuke's mind.

And all he could see was Naruto. Naruto grinning. Naruto vowing to never give never go back on his swearing that Sasuke himself was his best friend, and someone worth fighting for.

.

That was what the world was shaping towards. Daylight.


	2. Spring

Sasuke kept his steady eyes on Naruto's face. Watched as the gentleness of the sunlight caressed his tanned cheeks. Naruto's eyes flickered towards his own, and Sasuke glanced away, turning his face to the sky, the deep blue calming the beating of his heart. The colour of the sky almost resembled the unwavering blue eyes of his partner in saving the world... Even his eyes spoke a song of daylight...

_*...It's golden, like daylight...*_

...in comparison to his own mismatched eyes; one a pool of jet black ink, the other a vortex of purple pain.

Sasuke was lost in thought, re-evaluating everything he has ever done. Everything he has every thought. The Uchiha clan. Itachi. Konoha. He thought of the love he lost, the despair he felt for almost twenty long years.

*... _I've been sleeping so long in a twenty-year dark night...*_

His thoughts were disturbed by the mumbling of his idiotic friend. His presence, one which only ever irritated Sasuke, now only shone light over his once darkened heart. Sasuke smiled.

He knew in the recesses of his mind that his sun-kissed friend's ambitions and goals were now his own; Naruto's dreams were his. He wanted to support Naruto, wanted to support the daylight, through the shadows by casting out any undesirable being threatening Naruto's dreams. The beings that lurked in the depths of darkness. As he had once been.

The pain in what remained of his left arm had started to numb. Maybe even his body would too heal on its own...

"You fool!" Naruto barked.

Sasuke snapped his head towards the voice.

"Don't forget how you got in that state-"

"You're one to talk", Sasuke retorted back.

"That's not what I mean!" Naruto explained. "You can bask in the sunlight now because of our bond. Just like your mind and heart needed some helping hand in punching the day lights out of you, your body too needs assistance to heal!"

Their final battle had eradicated all barriers between them, allowing their chakra to be infused with each other, where now even their own thoughts could be read by a mere look.

Sasuke's eyes widened at Naruto's reproach.

Once again, Naruto bested him.

They needed a healer...

 _He_ needed a healer.

The familiar chakra signatures which he sensed confirmed his suspicions as to what Naruto was referring to.

Soon enough, he saw tufts of pink and silver hair peeking through the trees atop the hill.

The once numbness that he savoured, turned into anxiety. All the times he had hurt her came flowing back to him like fragments of wood splintering after being sliced by a _chidori_.

Sooner or later he would have to face her.

Her...

Her soft hands glowing green with chakra worked at both of her male comrade's remains of their arms.

Why did her presence now make his heart flutter?

He could only muster an apology. Heartfelt as it was, he knew it wasn't enough. He would need to make it up to her for the rest of their lives. Whether that was with his absence or presence he was not sure yet.

But he also managed to acknowledge then, that she too was part of his new light. Her pink hair were flowers dancing in the wind. Her emerald green eyes were a field of freshly cut blades of grass. She too was his new daylight. She was Spring.


	3. Light

Cold sweat trickled down Sasuke's spine. He had cooperated and allowed the Anbu to shield his eyes with bandages so that he only saw darkness and was left with only his thoughts for company, save for the medical ninjas who came to check up on him periodically.

Without any visitors, any other sane person would have lost their insanity, but Sasuke was used to darkness. Hell, he had bathed in it, welcomed it, consumed it, befriended it, for a large portion of his life. And in return he had pushed away any glimmer of light, and shut the door and beckoned it away. But now was different. No, _he_ was different. Being literally in the darkness was comforting, but not because he had accepted it, rather, he could see the light, even if only a flicker.

That light was his two companions. His best friends. He savoured the last memories he had with them and kept them replaying in his mind, counting down the days when he would next see them again.

He could picture it all now, the three of them were a picture to look at. Hairs dishevelled and clothes cloaked in dirt and blood as they sat atop the crushed statues of their previous incarnates.

Her tears streaming off her face, washing away his own impurity, cleansing him with her own innocence. The mixed emotions of relief, happiness, shock, and an overwhelming sense of closure clung to the three of them like the strong odour of blood. The only thing overbearing that was Naruto's laughter which soothed them of any doubts.

Sasuke found solace in their memories.

With his eyesight transfixed to only the darkness, his hearing and sense of smell were Sasuke's only connection to outside his cell. There was no distinction between night and day, he could only assume when one shifted into the other with the change of guard duty which Sasuke recorded by the sound of keys clinking and footsteps receding.

Whispers of hushed voices tiptoed towards Sasuke as he leaned against the cold wall of his cell. Soon enough, the whispers became louder until they sounded as if they were right outside of his cell.

"As Hokage, I have granted the authorisation of your release", spoke a lazy voice that Sasuke knew all too well.

Sasuke could imagine his silver-haired old sensei standing outside his cell, hands resting in his trouser pockets, the edge of his mask seated at the bridge of his nose whilst covering more than half of his face.

The second voice which he overheard now perked up.

"Kakashi-Sensei? May I tend to his wounds?" Sasuke stiffened. He refocused all of his energy on now controlling his breath, and blocked out the rest of the conversation.

Yet, her silky voice rang in his ears like the soft chime of a bell. _"May I tend to his wounds?"_

He couldn't let her know that he had started to long to hear her soft voice utter his name again, that he had been counting down the moments until she would embrace him again in her toned arms.

He hadn't redeemed himself yet. He was still stained with his crimes that engulfed the shinobi world into darkness. He was not yet a burst of light shining brightly like _her_ and Naruto. He was not yet worthy of her.

He felt a presence sit beside him, and felt chakra surging through him like a lullaby promising the sweetest dreams...

Sasuke's lips parted open and three words escaped only for her ears. He spoke something she believed to be more meaningful than a love sonnet.

"Thank you, Sakura."


	4. A New Dawn

Sasuke lay on the dented blue couch placed awkwardly in Naruto's abode. It was a few hours before dawn but sleep would not take Sasuke. He had left the living room window open to let a soft breeze in as well as the dim light that silently came in like a thief in the night, peeking in from the starlit sky and street lights. Sasuke's eyes adjusted to the darkness, but also welcomed in the streaks of light that timidly shone into the living room which he was temporarily staying in.

With his lone arm seated under his head, and what remained of his left arm slumbered into a tingling feeling of pins and needles, Sasuke was grateful he had a friend who let him stay the night. _She_ had mentioned he may feel a tingling sensation and numbness if he didn't move his muscles for too long. He couldn't bring himself to think of her name, as if the mere thought would forever entwine his fate to hers. Not yet...

Kakashi's promise of freedom did not mean without consequence. Sasuke would still have to face a trial, or at least that's what his pink-haired ... friend told him that day in the cell. His mind wandered back to the trial from the previous day. His eyes were still bound during the trial in case Sasuke used _genjutsu_ on anyone to influence their testimony by affecting their memories. He remembered the voices of his old Team 7 as they had all spoken their witness accounts echoing across a vast hall, all three of them testifying that he had indeed had a change of heart and vowed to never lay a hand on Konoha again; but would rather fight for the peace of not only Konoha, but the whole shinobi world. The witness account from the war hero, the sun-streaked tanned clown, was the tipping point. Naruto had gained trust and respect from across the globe, including the Five Kage who were present. It also helped that one of the Kage was his former Sensei, part of Team 7. Sasuke knew he owed his new life to them, and would forever be indebted, especially to Naruto for dragging him, punch by punch, out of the darkness, and into the light, where he could finally lay his eyes upon the most beautiful pink cherry blossoms...

Sasuke finally rested his eyes, and dreamt of a field of cherry blossoms dancing in the sunlight, searching for any shadows to kiss with its fragrance.

Sasuke woke up to a slam of the front door. Even when he was the strongest shinobi alive, Naruto was still a blond dork at best, Sasuke reflected. He had no respect for his friend who had finally been able to find peace in a deep slumber after a decade of turmoil and heartache. Sasuke lifted his weight off the couch with his two sturdy legs finding flat carpeted ground to kiss the soles of his feet. After a quick shower and change of clothes, he made his way to the Hokage's Office in the early hours of daylight.

Walking through the streets of Konoha was a strange sensation. The villagers bustled around him, when they looked into his mismatched eyes, many were quick to avert their gaze. Only the few brave onlookers kept their stare at the handsome carved face; many men's eyes screamed a look of contempt at an international criminal being set free for the lucky chance of having friends in high places. The brave females on the other hand, had a different sort of look, the same that his red-haired companion, Karin, once had. Lust. Sasuke was no stranger to affection from the opposite sex, however, he had only ever had eyes for one... One that he shut his eyes to a long time ago. But one that silently encouraged him to start to lift the clouds of emptiness from his gaze and beckon the slightest glimmer of light in.

Sasuke had now reached the threshold of the Hokage's office. He signalled his entrance with a low-voiced greeting to the Hokage.

"Kakashi". His voice was almost silent.

The silver-haired masked man looked up.

"Ah, Sasuke. You're right on time." The creases in his dark blue mask suggested a smile was at play.

"Hn."

"I was just sealing the last of your scrolls detailing the nearby small villages that needed assistance".

Sasuke took the scrolls that sat on the desk and pocketed them inside his satchel resting against his waist. He turned to leave when Kakashi's fatherly tone stopped him from taking a step further.

"I assume that you being here at this hour means that you will depart tonight, if I am not mistaken?"

"I intend to depart as soon as I can. Before midday if possible. The less people that are at the village gates, the better."

Kakashi perked up an eyebrow,

"Ah, before midday you say? I trust that you're aware that Sakura is usually on her shift at the hospital until dusk?"

Sasuke's eyes transfixed onto the floor, heaving out a sigh. He was about to reach for the door when once again Kakashi's voice stopped him in his tracks. This time Sasuke turned his head in response to Kakashi's words, to give his old Sensei a menacing glare.

"Lucky for you, I gave Sakura the week off. Actually she should be here any minute now to take you out for breakfast!" Kakashi's eyes had been closed as he said this, but the cold gaze of his former student's surged a nostalgic ripple across Kakashi's spine, forcing him to meet the Uchiha's stare.

"Hey don't look at me like that. It's just an informal meeting between a medic-nin and a shinobi," Kakashi defended himself, raising his hands out in protest. "Hearing the information directly from an expert like Sakura is more informative than those scrolls would ever be".

Sasuke's cold gaze never left Kakashi. What right did the former _Sharingan_ wielder have to meddle with Sasuke's life? Sure, he had been one of the people close to him that gave him a chance to redeem himself, but Sasuke was not ready for romance.

Just then the door burst open.

"Hokaga-sama!" The sound of the angelic voice caused Sasuke to shift his gaze to the doorway.

"S-Sasuke-kun." The rose-coloured haired beauty's green eyes met Sasuke's mismatched eyes, before casting her eyes away towards the floor. "I-I didn't expect to see you here already. Sorry to intrude." Her fingers started to twirl with a few locks of her hair. For the first time, Sasuke had noticed that her hair had grown a few inches longer than the last time he had laid eyes on her. Her pink locks fell across her face, covering her pink blushes like a silky curtain.

"Enough with the 'Hokage-sama'." Kakashi interjected, rolling his eyes, shifting the tension to a lighter tone. Both Sasuke and Sakura were visibly relieved to have been awakened from the awkward atmosphere, as both their sight fell towards their old Sensei. "I'll always be 'Sensei' to you."

Sakura's eyes perked up, and she seemed more at ease as she responded, "But you'll have to get used to your new title some day, _Hokage-sama."_ At that last bit, she winked.

"Yes, yes," Kakashi said impatiently. "I don't think I'll ever get used to it. Nor the amount of workload. Don't you two have somewhere to be?" At that, it was his turn to wink, before standing up from his chair and ushering them out, with a hand on each of their backs.

"I'll see you two at the Village gates at midday, hm?"

Without waiting for a response, he closed the door on a flustered _kunoichi_ and an irritated Uchiha.

Sasuke started walking a few steps, stopped, and turned to give the dazed pinkette a good look at the purple ripples of his _rinnengan._ "Are you coming?" His tone was indifferent.

"Ah, yes. I'm sorry". She put herself together and briskly took a few steps until she was beside Sasuke's side.

Her presence so close to him filled him with warmth, as if he was bathing in a cool fire.

Once outside of the large building, the daylight shone on the two of them, causing Sakura to place a hand above her brows creating shade. Sasuke surmised that even in peaceful daylight, sometimes shadows were needed to be able to completely appreciate the rays of light. Without the dark days, it wasn't possible to see the true value of days that birthed voluptuous light rays.

Specks of the sunlight beautified their surroundings; the leaves hanging off from the trees sparkled a dewy green; the sky was a light shade of blue with fluffy white clouds, Sasuke reflected that if you looked too long, you may have mistaken it for the crashes of the waves in the sea. The laughter of young villagers rang high in the air, a pleasant sound, Sasuke concluded. Why is it now that he could reflect on the smallest things in this way? See the beauty of the world? Was it because she was beside his right side, their hands almost touching as they walked side by side? Or was it because he had never let himself see the beauties of this world, when his eyes were only in the darkness? These questions that had finally arose to the surface confirmed that his intentions of his journey to redemption was indeed needed. Alone. Now that he had reignited those bonds he once attempted to extinguish, and was beginning to _bask in the sunlight_ as Naruto had put it, it was necessary to find out if Sasuke could still have these feelings for the world around him when his beloved comrades weren't there beside him. Being strained in the bleak cold hard cell had been a testament that he was ready for such a test. Now was the time to cleanse himself of all the tainted bad blood he had caused with the rest of the shinobi world. Sasuke's rambling thoughts came to a halt as Sakura's strides did. She had stopped outside a stall with flaps covering the interior.

"Sakura". Sasuke's voice was as luscious as ivy when he spoke her name. "Why are we here?"

"Oh, Naruto insisted we come here." She responded in an apologetic tone, her hands clasped together to affirm her apology. "You know how he is. He doesn't eat anything BUT ramen!"

Sasuke was relieved to hear that they would not be left alone. They both lifted the flaps and perched themselves on two wooden stalls, Sakura sat at the far right corner with Sasuke beside her.

At the sound of squeaks of wooden stalls scratching the stony ground indicating new customers, the Ichiraku Ramen cook turned around with a massive grin.

"Ah, and what can I do for you toda- Sakura! If it isn't my favourite customer's girlfriend!"

Sakura waved her hands in front of her face incredulously. "No, no! It's not like that!" Sasuke felt her emerald eyes glance at his indifferent face. "Me and Naruto are just good friends, really!"

The cook chuckled. "I'm only teasing. And who is this handsome young lad?" The cook squinted. "Could it be? It can't be! Welcome home, lad!"

It was a foreign thing to hear a genuine welcome from anyone outside of his old Team 7. Sasuke could only muster a small, "Thanks".

The sound of first customers of the day brought the cook's daughter from the stock room. Conversation then erupted between the cook's daughter, Ayame, and Sakura. Sasuke kept the corner of his onyx eye's gaze timidly on Sakura. He was amused to see how she was confident around everyone else, apart from him, a habit she hadn't grown out of since even prior to her _genin_ days. He watched intently as she placed a strong hand over her mouth as she muffled back some laughter. And the way her eyes gleamed in pleasant surprise as Ayame told her that Naruto had already pre-paid for their date and would not be gracing them with his presence, and as Sakura blushed a deep red as she protested that she definitely wasn't on a date with Sasuke-kun.

The father-daughter duo then presented their first customers of the day with two bowls of piping hot miso ramen, with extra tomato toppings in Sasuke's. And then awkward silence. Sasuke bemused that he preferred when Sakura was talking endlessly, as it meant that he had only to listen, and not be forced to sit in uncomfortable silence, or worse, feel inclined to start a conversation.

Sasuke awkwardly adjusted himself so that he could comfortably eat from the bowl with no left hand for support. This was the first time he had eaten in public since losing his arm. Prior to this he had been fed by the medic-nins at the cell and then after the trial he had had some practice at eating with his right hand, as Naruto fumbled to work chopsticks with his left.

Sasuke could stand the silence no longer. He didn't know why the usually talkative of the pair was mimicking his silence.

"Sakura."

"Hm?" Sasuke watched as she parted back some loose strands of her hair behind her left ear.

"Kakashi informed me we were meant to go over some of the details of the nearby villages."

"Ah, yes of course..." Sasuke noticed that she had started to twirl her hair in her left fingers again. Was this a new habit?

"Sakura, are you ok?" At this Sakura glanced up to face Sasuke, her eyes wide. Their faces were inches apart. He could feel her hot breath on him.

"Wh-why do you say that?"

Sasuke looked towards his bowl of half-eaten ramen, "It doesn't matter. Tell me."

Sasuke listened as she told him of how the small towns and villages had been struggling to cope since the Fourth Great Ninja War, and how the vines of the great divine tree had been sucking out the energy out of the soil, causing food shortages. As she spoke of her speciality in the medical field of how Sasuke could transport medical supplies, her face lit up like a candlelight in a hollow cave, her face beamed of years of knowledge. He adored the way she had blossomed throughout the years, working her way up as a Sanin's apprentice, to becoming a renowned medical ninja Sasuke believed she had potential to be. And suddenly he felt a pang of regret for all those missed years. Sakura must have felt a shift in the air, as she started to play with her hair again.

"I'm sorry if I'm... annoying you, I get carried away at times when it comes to my field of work-"

"No."

Sakura's brows furrowed. "No, what?"

Sasuke exhaled heavily. He couldn't stand _that word_. It was a word full of torment for her, and he knew it. He knew he had always been the source of her pain. He couldn't allow her to dissolve into any more tears over him. He needed to stop this cycle. He looked deep into the remnants of the ramen's juice sitting idly at the bottom of the bowl.

"Sasuke-kun?"

"You're not annoying."

The look on her face was like another sun had appeared out into the sea-blue sky, and had broken a rainbow into multiple colours, like the birth of a new dawn.

Sakura thanked the father-daughter duo again, before heading out of the flaps with Sasuke waiting outside, his body positioned so his back was to her.

Sakura bounded up beside him. "There's still four hours until midday. And the the stalls don't open until 9. So we have an hour to spare."

At 'we' Sasuke turned to look down at Sakura.

She started to lace her fingers around her locks again. It was beginning to irritate him.

"I mean, I have the whole day off. So I just thought maybe if you need a hand in packing or anything, I could help". She dug the toe of her right sandal into the ground, anxiously waiting for his response.

Sasuke relented. As much as he wanted to be rid of her, not because that she was _annoying_ , but because he was afraid of his own feelings towards her. He couldn't let anything blossom between them. He was already aware of her own feelings towards him, something he had tried to ignore for far too long. He decided maybe she deserved some bit of closure, before he leaves and rips out her tangled bruised dripping red heart with him. Again.

"Hn." And at that he beckoned Sakura to walk alongside him to Naruto's apartment.

As Sasuke unlocked the door with the spare key Naruto had gifted him, a smoke of dust greeted the pair.

"Gosh, how did you sleep here last night?" Sakura patted down her skirt and gingerly made her way around the orange and white clothes toppled all over the floor.

"Where is he anyway? Did he tell you this morning that he'll be skiving on us? That's just typical Naruto."

"I never saw him".

"Agh, that knuckle-head." Despite the complaints, Sasuke could tell that Sakura was relieved to have him all to herself for this long.

Sasuke grabbed the few clothes he had, all as black as his soul once was, and attempted to fold them with one hand. Sakura gently took them from him and folded them neatly. This gesture reminded Sasuke of the only other female he had ever opened his heart to: his mother. Sakura's maternal instincts kicked in and she started to pick up Naruto's clothes too, folding them and placing them in an orderly fashion on the living room desk, not wanting to go snooping into his bedroom.

Sasuke noticed that Sakura hummed whilst she did chores, and it was as if his ears were being showered in blessings by the strumming of an angel playing a harp.

Sasuke grabbed his satchel, wearing it over his black shirt and his _katana_ and slid it through its sheath which rested just below his cloak. With only a glance, Sakura understood. They headed out of the apartment, locked the door, placed the key under the mat and headed towards Konoha hospital.

On their way, Sasuke was once again stunned by his female companion's knowledge at medicine. She listed off the different medical supplies she would seal into the scrolls and label them for which village or town he should take them to.

Once at her office, with a silver plaque labelled 'Haruno, Sakura' at the door, Sakura welcomed Sasuke into a seat. Her office had pots with cherry blossoms basking in the sun whilst seated at the window. The chair Sasuke cushioned himself in was placed by the window so that he could smell the flowers' fragrance, overpowering the stench of medicine and chlorine that was swimming in the hallway of the hospital.

Sasuke closed his eyes and took in the sweet scent. Who knows when he would be able to be in her presence again? Who knows when he'll be able to hear her laughter fill a room full with soft chimes? Who knows when he'll next see the light shade of blush that appeared on her fair skin whenever her eyes met his? He would be unable to tell her how his heart sang for her, and how his dreams were only filled with her. He couldn't let her hopes up. Maybe next time...

_Maybe next time._

He had been graced with the memory of Itachi. Sasuke gently touched his forehead with his index and middle finger, for all the memories with his late brother just to linger in his mind a few moments more. For him to see his brother's loving smile one more time.

"Sasuke?"

He opened his eyes and locked his purple vortex and red eye that resembled a flower, with her emerald green ones.

She was stunned as she collapsed into a _genjutsu_ full of Sasuke's memories about Itachi.

He had shared a part of himself with her. That meant the world to her. She now knew that he once believed love was burning red, as red as his late brother's _susanoo._ She understood that he was just learning about love again. Re-examining it. She vowed to take it on herself to teach him that love can take many forms. It could be daylight.

His tormented heart which had been beginning to heal with the ticking of time since that morning he had collapsed with his best friend on top of statues piled atop each other, had started to expand fiercely at an alarming rate. His heart felt like the lightning of his own _chidori_ coming to life. He watched as Sakura stood in the middle of her office taking in everything she had just witnessed through Sasuke's illusions and as a single tear strolled down her perfectly arched face.

"Sasuke... I never knew. Your brother... I'm so sorry. I knew you had a complicated past, but, I never would have thought..." Her words trailed off as Sasuke sat up from the chair and padded towards her, his feet light on the tiled floor. He brought his thumb to her cheek and rubbed the tears away, as if he was erasing all his past mistakes with one swift motion. He was greeted with a rose blush. The corners of his lips swirled upwards slightly forming a shy smile for her watery leafy-green eyes. The moment lasted for a second, but that second was etched into eternity for Sasuke with the help of his _Mankegkyo Sharingan_.

Sakura fumbled with her feet like a newborn horse until she was near her desk. Whilst she placed on the remaining labels onto the five scrolls with medical supplies sealed inside, she muttered, "You know, when I saw you touching your forehead like that, I thought you had a headache. But now I understand, your brother loved you dearly".

Sasuke looked at her inquisitively. "And why would I have a headache?"

Sakura's fingers instinctively found the ends of her pink locks. "I thought maybe, being with me all morning, you must have finally got sick of me." A nervous bubble of laughter escaped her lips.

"Sakura. I meant what I said." He realised that all those times he rejected her and called her 'annoying' over the years had cut deep wounds that weren't apparent on the surface of her smooth pale skin. "You're not annoying". He hated repeating himself. But some wounds were harder to heal, even for the most skilled medical ninjas, and other forms of medicine were necessary.

"Sasuke, thank you. That means a lot". The sparkle in her eye, and the glow of her face with the sunlight raining down on the long locks of her hair, spoke a thousand more words than she could say. Sasuke took one last look at her slim figure, before picking up the scrolls and placing them in his satchel. And with that, they both headed out and made their way to the market stalls.

Sasuke decided that he was grateful to Naruto and Kakashi for setting him and Sakura up. Although he didn't like people interfering in his decisions, he resigned his stubborn feelings and accepted that his comrades had his, and hers, best interests at heart. He suddenly couldn't imagine another moment without her rosy blushes and her hair swaying in the wind, and how her gaze quickly averted whenever she noticed him staring intently at her. He savoured the way he could see her reflection in the shiny ripe red tomatoes that he bought from a stall, and his heart desperately reached out to be by her side. But Sasuke knew he needed to stop following his heart's desires, as that was what made him known as the notorious criminal he was known for today. Instead, he refocused his mind on seeing these moments together as a way to say goodbye. Maybe this way, she would be able to hold on to these memories until they could lock their eyes together with each other again.

As they headed towards the village gates, Sakura looked up at Sasuke. "I know your brother wanted to keep his life private, and I respect his wishes. But I want to say something, if that's okay?"

Sasuke nodded a small nod to signify his permission. Sakura lowered her voice to a whisper so that only Sasuke could hear by straining his ear. "Itachi was a great man. And I know he would be proud of you. I know I am". She tilted her head away from Sasuke's gaze to cover her flushed cheeks with a pink curtain of hair.

Sasuke turned his face towards the sky, so that his sought-after looks could be graced by the beaming sun, and hoped that Itachi was looking down from somewhere. Itachi had been right; the village was truly worth protecting, Sasuke reflected. That was another reason he needed to leave as soon as he could. He knew he was a target, and if he stayed in the village too long, the village would be at risk, with all the people in it. The careless laughter of children and rushed voices chattering away would all be jeopardised for the sake of hunting down the last Uchiha who had won many enemies the past few years. He glanced towards Sakura again. The village was definitely worth protecting, as it held in its palms the life of precious people, close to Sasuke's ever-aching heart.

They stopped when they reached the village gates. Their silver-haired former sensei stood at the gate, hands resting in his pockets, without his Hokage ensemble.

"Sensei!" Sakura waved as soon as she saw him. "Where's Naruto?"

"He isn't with you?" Sakura shook her head. "Ah, he must still be with Tsunade testing out the prosthetic arms".

"Oh, it's unlike him to miss his chance at saying farewell", Sakura mused.

Sasuke impatiently stepped away from them, and cantered off beyond the massive iron gates, stopping to turn and look at the two people who had played some sort of influence in his life, allowing them to say their final farewells before his departure.

Kakashi started to remind him of how Sasuke was lucky to be free, when he should rightfully be in prison for his crimes. And that if it wasn't for Naruto testifying in favour of Sasuke's freedom, Sasuke wouldn't be standing in the very place he was at that moment. As Kakashi rambled on, Sasuke's mismatched eyes found Sakura, her face downcast and sullen. His eyes never left her angelic face, even as Kakashi warned him not to get too reckless or Kakashi would be held responsible.

_*...I don't wanna look at anything else now that I saw you...*_

Sasuke made sure to memorise the way her hands trembled as he reassured Kakashi, "Understood. Thank you."

Her trembling stopped. She forced herself to look Sasuke in the eyes and asked the question she had been tripping over whether she should ask or not.

"Must you go?" She held her head up high and didn't waver. "The artificial arm that Lady Tsunade is creating from Lord Hashirama's cells will soon..."

Sasuke had his answer ready, and delivered it without hesitation. "I need time to understand my feelings." A whirlpool of emotions and feelings swirled Sasuke's heart, many of them tugging towards Sakura. But he also wanted to keep his most inner thoughts ambiguous, keep her guessing like a rolling dice as he was still trying to understand, himself.

"There are things that can't be seen unless I do this. Also there's something I'm worried about". Sakura gasped. He couldn't disclose his fears and suspicions to her just yet when it was unconfirmed whether Kaguya's remnants still lurked the corners of the earth.

"How I should understand the shinobi world, this world. Perhaps I'll be able to see things I couldn't see before." He had performed his speech perfectly how he had envisioned: effortlessly and emotionless.

The woman who had loved him even in his darkest times averted the green glimmers of her eyes, and the prettiest blush crept across her face, more rose-coloured than her conditioned hair. Her green speckles flickered from his restrained face to the side and back. "What if I said ... I'd go with you?" She awaited his response.

He couldn't give her what she wanted. What she wanted was his time, his thoughts. His love. He was a soiled rock on a beach that the waves still hadn't crashed into and swept away all the grime. She was a smooth shell that twinkled in the sun. Even her cracks were beautiful edges that could be traced with the tip of a finger. The dirt covering him could not be compared to her naked patterns.

He closed his eyes and gave his response. "This is a trip to atone for my sins. My sins have nothing to do with you."

She hung her head in defeat. "Nothing to do with.. me..?" She echoed dully to her feet.

Despite all he couldn't give her, he could give her the one thing she asked for all those years ago when she was a _genin_ , begging desperately for him not to leave her for the first time as her eyes created a waterfall of tears. Acceptance.

With her head still hung low, he walked up to her so they were a feet apart. A smile playing on his lips and closed the gap with a tap on her forehead with his index and middle finger.

"Maybe next time. Thank you." The significance of his touch and his words rang high in the air as the wind swept fallen leaves dancing around them, with her hair billowing in the breeze. Her face flushed. She understood the weight of his words - it was more of a confession than anything else. A confession that he sees her as equal. A confession that he wants her, but not at this present time. His smile traced an unspoken 'I'll see you soon'. And he departed from her, leaving her with hopes and dreams of the future.

On the outskirts of the village he saw a yellow flash of hair belonging to the man who taught him to see light. He leaned against the trunk of a tree with a white cloak, the tips a bright orange, that Sasuke had not seen before.

"I didn't think you'd come to see me off."

The figure that resembled a ray of sunshine moved off from the tree and reached out his hand with a possession. Sasuke glanced down, and then looked back at Naruto. "You kept that thing?" He asked, voice full of wonder. His eyes then fell on Naruto's right sleeve waving in the breeze where his right arm would have been. Soon Naruto would get a prosthetic arm, unlike Sasuke who had refused; he prayed the absence of his left arm would remind him of his own sins and Naruto's sacrifice.

Sasuke reflected within himself of Naruto's sacrifice, and knew that Naruto understood his unspoken words of respect and acknowledgement.

 _"You sacrificed your arm to stop me. Thanks to you I found salvation. Once all we did was clash with each other. But now we share each other's pain."_ The blonde's lips tightened together to form a smile that would forever be etched into Sasuke's mind.

_"After all my travels through the world, I came to the conclusion that this sharing of pain can perhaps be applied to something that is much bigger than just us. But I can't do things like you. Things don't go that smoothly, as you and I know more than anyone... The bigger something is, the harder."_

"I'm returning this", Naruto insisted.

"I'll hang on to it...until our real match".

Sasuke reached out for the possession from the Naruto's outstretched hand and Naruto face gleamed as bright as the sun. Sasuke returned the smile.

_"This idea is almost a prayer. To keep enduring, no matter what, until things come to pass. And for we who must endure, perhaps that's what it means...to be a ninja."_

The possession being returned from Naruto to its rightful owner, Sasuke, was his old _genin_ headband. The leaf insignia scratched out. Sasuke noticed that it had been polished. This act of the transitioning of the headband, Sasuke knew, was a symbol of their bond. It had been dented along the way, almost lost, but it made its way back home. Like Sasuke.

And with that, Sasuke started his journey. It was the beginning of a new dawn.


	5. Sunrise

Two years had passed since Sasuke had left the village. On his travels he had accomplished his desire to cleanse the taint of his own name as well as bring new meaning to the name 'Uchiha' through helping out other travellers, villagers and townsmen - whether he came across them or he was informed of their whereabouts by Konoha. He had also trained profusely so that he had the ability to wield his _katana_ with one hand, as well as form a _jutsu_ with his only hand - an act belonging to only the most elite shinobi.

Sasuke saw the beauty of life everywhere he went. He saw it in the buds of flowers, the cawing of hawks and the clear streams of water. And the days he had felt overwhelmed with loneliness, he thought of what was waiting for him at home, and imagined how the pink tresses would feel under his fingertips. Six months after he last saw her, he had heard wild rumours about himself which he did not concern himself with. It was only when he had heard that his pink beauty was being held captive that he teleported to rescue her, but he needn't worried; she had saved herself with her enormous strength and had pieced together how a group of the Anbu had created a 'fake Sasuke' to lure him out and create a drug of the _Sharingan_ to sell. After hearing that Sakura was safe, Sasuke defeated the Anbu that had found him with his _Amatarsu_ , and continued on with his journey of redemption.

A month ago he had received word from Naruto. In his note sent by one of Sasuke's hawk, he had mentioned a conversation with Sakura where she likened Sasuke's recent actions to that of the Leaf Police Force. The Leaf Police Force was an organisation run by the Uchiha in Sasuke's childhood; it had been his dream to work alongside his father as a young boy. Sakura's words ran deep and tears gleamed in Sasuke's eyes. He decided it was time to return home. Sasuke decided to take the long way home, which would take a month.

Two weeks later he had received another note from Naruto detailing events of his wedding to the Hyuuga girl. It was typical of the blonde knucklehead to leave such important information out in the first letter, two weeks prior. Sasuke had been contemplating whether to actually attend the wedding or not. His sudden appearance may sway the attention from the bride and groom and may be directed at the Uchiha himself; instead, Sasuke decided he would stay on the outskirts of the village and protect Konoha whilst the village celebrated their beloved hero's special day.

Today was the day of the wedding. March 28th. A date Sasuke could not forget: Sakura's birthday. He was close enough to the village to be able to send his messenger hawk and for the hawk to return within an hour. Sasuke brought out a blank brown parchment from his satchel and placed it on a rock. He sat beside the paper and held a corner down with a kunai. He brought out a brush and a pot of ink and stared at the paper wondering what to write. Sasuke was never one to express his feelings with words - that was Naruto's way. Sasuke preferred action, even the most subtle gestures such as a finger poke could speak a million words. Sasuke brought brush to meet paper and wrote, 'Happy Birthday Sakura. I'm sorry I can't be there with you. Send my wishes to Naruto and Hinata'.

Sasuke looked at the words and cringed. He feared for who may lay eyes on the note and be able to read Sasuke's heart in an instant. Instead, Sasuke crumpled up the paper and started anew. This time he wrote a simple, 'Congratulations' intending for both Sakura and Naruto, and handed it to his hawk to do the rest of his bidding.

The daylight had slimmed to a white glow, and the clouds had started to loom over the setting sun. Sasuke set afoot into the village and could hear the drunken laughter wafting towards his ears. NIght had finally fallen and the impregnated clouds celebrated the marriage with a shower of tears. Sasuke knew better than to intrude on newly weds, and found his feet walking down a road that led to a house he had seldom visited as a young _genin_.

Sasuke knocked on the door and was soon met with a gasp.

"Could it be? Is it really you?" Sakura's mother's hands found her face as she gaped up at him.

"Who is it, dear?" Boomed a male voice from another room.

"Oh where are my manners. I'm Sakura's mother, Mebuki. Please do come in-"

The male figure emerged at the doorstep.

"Oh if it isn't our son-in-law!"

"Kizashi!"

"What?" Kizashi, Sakura's father from whom Sakura had inherited her pink hair, feigned innocence. "If you're looking for our daughter, she doesn't live here anymore. You'll find her at the apartments near the Konoha hospital. Her flat is on the ground floor, door number 5". Kizashi winked at Sasuke.

Sasuke had kept his emotions reserved and face free from any expressions. "Thank you, Mr and Mrs Haruno." And he turned to leave in the pouring rain.

Sasuke appeared at her front door with his hair soaked, water dripping onto his face like the tears of two long lost lovers. Before he could even place his knuckles on the brown wood, the door swung open like a shuriken being hurled. His mismatched eyes were reflected in two green pools, and a gaping mouth. The next thing he noticed was her shortened hair. His heart fluttered. It was as if two parallel worlds had finally collided and had given birth to paradise.

"I'm home, Sakura."

After recovering from her shock, she welcomed him in and they listened intently to each other; treasuring every single word. He told her of his travels, and she told him of her opening the children's hospital focusing on mental health, and how she was inspired by both Naruto and himself. He admired her for it all and in that moment it became apparent what the rapid beating of his heart had been whispering to him. He looked at her strong, tender arms; her finely shaped face; and her broad forehead waiting for him to kiss the purple diamond seated in the middle. He was in love.

They continued to exchange stories until the sunrise.

[This chapter I was inspired by this song.](https://youtu.be/8_iOSKP9kUc)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://youtu.be/8_iOSKP9kUc
> 
> This chapter I was inspired by another Taylor Swift song.


	6. Twilight

The midday sun gleamed in through the window and pierced their eyelids open. Sasuke pried his eyes open to find their locks of hair entwined like a thread of fate; heads almost touching. Her back was to him, fully clothed, lying on the same spare mattress she had set out for him on the wooden floor of her living room. Sasuke slid the blanket off, resulting in Sakura to abruptly sit up, her eyes wide with alarm.

"Sasuke! I'm so sorry. After I went to bed I heard you call me, but you were sound asleep, and so I stayed in case you woke up. I must have dozed off-" She was rambling, waving her hands around gesturing at the blanket which she slept on top off rather than under.

"Sakura, it's fine." In truth Sasuke was likely more embarrassed than Sakura as he had been the one calling her in his sleep. Despite that, he couldn't conceal the smirk playing on his lips.

Sakura took his response as an opportunity to get out of the awkward situation by jumping up and into the shower.

The rest of the day flew like cherry blossoms blowing in the wind. Although they had slept in, they had managed to see the newly weds off just before their honey-moon. As the hero of the Shinobi world, Kakashi had authorised Naruto and Hinata a three-month long honey-moon - they were able to afford such a long break due to the peace that Naruto himself had forged. Naruto made Sasuke and Sakura promise to dine with them in their new home once they returned. For the first time in a long time, it was Sasuke's turn to say farewell to someone who was leaving him, it was a strange feeling. Sasuke couldn't help but keep his purple pupil on Sakura, wondering how her heart must have shattered all those times he left her, and his heart broke a little. But also found that his heart swelled for her happiness.

He found himself accompanying Sakura in her daily duties. From helping out with paperwork at Konoha hospital, to listening to sorrowful children cry their hearts out at the new clinic, and finally, teaching _taijutsu_ at the academy as guest teachers. They ended their day with a picnic on a grassy hill beneath the twilight sky. The grass swayed in tune with the rhythm of his beating heart, and the flower petal's fragrance embraced them both with comfort. The breaking of the sky into a burning pink and red streaks left a hue on her locks that Sasuke couldn't turn his mismatched eyes away from. She closed her eyes to take in the ethereal moment as they sat side by side; both their pinky fingers itching to touch the other, with only a few strands of green blades in between acting as a barrier.

Once the sun had set, she finally found the courage to speak the words she dreaded to hear the answer to. She dared not look at his handsome features, even in the darkness which concealed all emotions. She whispered into the crisp night, a voice so slim her words may have been meant for the ears of souls.

"How long are you staying?"

He closed his eyes and exhaled before giving her his answer.

"Until Naruto returns."

She shouldn't have been surprised, but even the growing darkness of the night could not cover her shock.

"Won't you stay a bit longer? I know Naruto's missed you, almost as much as I have."

Sasuke smiled inwardly at her confident confession, and allowed his fingers to brush against her for a moment before using his hand to push his weight up. He towered over her and reached out his hand towards her. "It's time we went home".

She took his hand and they made their way. Neither of them spoke another word, they didn't have to. Their hands had been clasped together and they knew: they were in love.

They watched the sun set together in a field of grass for the next three months. Their relationship had been progressing ever so slowly, but it was the right pace for Sasuke. Each night he would be left to sleep on the mattress, and she would drift of to sleep on her own bed. Each day they spent further apart with Sasuke taking on menial missions within the village to rebuild his reputation with the people of his home, now that he had convinced the rest of the world of his vow to never return to the darkness. But each night they came back together on a field of heavenly love; whispers in the night, and the caress of hands touching. The tingling sensation he felt was as if someone had lit a fire inside him, but the interlocking of his fingers with her clammy hands were enough to cool him down and not flinch at her touch. With each day that passed, and every moment that he wasn't with her, he found the pulsing of his heart speaking her name, longing for her presence.

During the day as he journeyed around the village - whether it was for deciphering scrolls, or substituting as a sensei for new _genin_ teams whilst out training and on missions to chase cats, and other humble missions - he heard her name everywhere. The _genins_ would speak highly of Dr. Sakura, casually dropping her name into a conversation.

"I'm fed up of all these low skilled missions! I want a B rank mission at least! That way I can show off the results of my training. Hmph!" A brown haired _genin,_ Takeshi, expressed to his two teammates as they attempted to run up a wall - a training exercise set by Sasuke.

"I just can't wait to learn medical _ninjutsu._ I want to become a jounin like Sakura Sensei!" Etsuko, the female member of the team exclaimed. "I want to heal people like she healed me."

The third member of the group, a 12 year old red-haired boy named Haru, piped up, "I have an appointment with her today. Can I go now, Uchiha Sensei?"

Sasuke still wasn't used to being called 'Sensei', and he didn't feel as if he was a good one either. The lone Uchina raised his eyebrow. "You don't have an appointment."

Takeshi brought out his kunai and marked how high he ran up the wall, before dropping to the ground. "Heeeeh, how do you know he was lying?"

"Hey! Don't rat me out".

"Sensei already knows!" Takeshi focused on Sasuke again. "So, how did you know?"

Sasuke sighed. "Sakura isn't working at the children's clinic today."

Etsuko stood on the wall and gleamed down at Sasuke, her eyes bright with awe. "Does that mean you check up on Sakura sensei? That's so cute! What I would do to be Sakura... a world renowned medic, a fantastic fighter, and have a gorgeous boyfriend all to myself!" She placed her palms on her cheeks which resulted her in losing her balance.

"BOYFRIEND?!" Both the boys gaped up at Sasuke from the ground. Takeshi pointed at Sasuke. "So the rumours are true?"

In truth, they hadn't spoken about the status of their relationship. They were only living together, exchanging stories, and holding hands. It was all he had ever seen his parents do, and even then, as a child he had barely ever seen his parents hold each other close. It was common for the Uchiha clan to hide affection, or at least keep it private and subtle. He knew that his relationship with Sakura had now exceeded the boundaries of friendship and had developed into something more - something they both so far have neglected to talk about, but even he had heard the rumours about them floating around the village. But this was the first time it had been brought to the surface, for someone to demand an answer that he himself was unsure of. He surmised that Sakura's neglect of officiating their relationship had something to do with fearing his supposed rejection, and also living in the moment. Not wanting the serenity of the present to become fleeting memories that withered away before it could even bud.

Sasuke looked at the three _genins_ with a face as emotional as the Hokage stone faces. "If you slack off now you'll never realise your ambitions." His stone cold gaze was enough for the three _genin_ to shut up and resume their training.

That evening when he met up with Sakura outside of the hospital, he took her somewhere new, just outside the village. They sat at a bench on a cliff overlooking over the sea, waiting for the sun to finally set. He vowed to himself that with a change in scenery, he would change the meaning of their touch, the meaning of their stolen glances, the meaning of his heartbeat.

The sunlight glimmered over the water as it painted the sea into a thousand different shades of red.

"Do you like it?" His voice a whisper.

"It's beautiful..." Her voice held wonder, wondering where this was leading. It was unlike Sasuke to be the one to initiate conversation.

"Not as beautiful as you". The words escaped his lips before he realised he had spoken his thoughts aloud.

She looked at him, _really_ looked at him. As if she were looking at his perfectly carved face for the first time.

"Wh-what did you say, Sasuke-kun?"

He turned his face away so his black hair fell across his face, concealing his expression. With the corner of his eye he could see her right hand slowly edging closer, until she touched his hair and brushed it aside so she could look at him again.

"Sakura-"

"Tell me."

"We can't be friends."

Her hand dropped from his face and he could see the glimmer of water shining in her eyes in the darkness.

"I don't understand." Her voice trembled almost as fiercely as her hands. "Have I done something? I thought-"

WIth one swift motion, he cupped her chin and planted a soft kiss on the purple diamond seated perfectly above her brows.

"You think too much".

Tears rolled down her face, and her body became limp and melted into his chest, her back supported by the remains of his left arm. Her hair tickled his chin, and with his lone hand he allowed himself to feel her hair pink locks. It was more silky than he had imagined. Soft as a feather.

"Sakura, do you understand?"

She looked up at his, eyes impregnated with love. And smiled. "I do."

They stayed still like that for a minute longer, a perfect picture. The blissful evening was finally broken when his messenger hawk interrupted them, freeing themselves from each other's embrace. He showed her the contents of the scroll in the twilight.

Back under her roof, they once again slept on the same mattress: this time in her bedroom. Their foreheads touched, and their fingers interlocked. They sealed the night away into a land of dreams full of each other with a kiss on the lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: If you've read this far, I'd be grateful if you could check out my AMV on youtube which inspired me to write this fanfic.
> 
> youtu.be/XwK5LYX2Gkw


	7. Dusk

He awoke the next morning to the face of a sleeping angel. Her lashes were long pink threads attached to the covers of his saving grace. As much as he loved to watch her sleep in peaceful slumber, he loved it more whenever she would wake up to look at him with those adoring green eyes of hers. He slipped his fingers under her face and caressed her soft white skin delicately, as if she would slip through his fingers and vanish if he blinked. She stirred in her sleep and muttered his name before pressing her eyelids open. When her eyes had finally focused onto the gorgeous man lying beside her, her face broke into a smile.

"I could get used to this", she murmured.

He took her sleek left hand from under the blanket and brought it to his face. He squeezed it before planting a soft kiss on each of her fingertips, gaining what he desired the most: a rose blush on her face. He could now start the rest of his day, with his heart beating like a flutter of wings and his mind at ease about the world. Just as he rolled over to sit up and leave, he felt her tender arms embrace his torso, and her head rest just on the nape of his neck.

"Sakura.."

She kissed his neck. "About the letter from Hokage-sama, are you going to speak to him about it?" She was referring to the scroll they had received last night which had interrupted their two minute and a half date. He knew how long it was as she kept giggling about it as they whispered their good nights.

"That's what I intend to do." He disentangled himself from her and said, "I'll let you know as soon as I can". He brushed her hair away which had fallen across the eyes which he loved so much and kissed her on the brow. He meant it as a 'You are everything to me'; she understood it as a 'I'll see you soon'.

At the Hokage's office, he greeted his former sensei.

"Kakashi."

"Ah Sasuke, so you got my message. How do you like the look of my carved face, hm?" Sasuke was indifferent about the new stone face of the Hokage. Sasuke's deadpanned face translated into his lack of interest.

Kakashi threw back his arms behind his head. "I see you're still not one for idle chatter, haha". Then his face grew serious. "Your suspicions were well founded. We found a lead. White Zetsu cells have been found on the East of an island near the Wind country".

"Tsk."

"Do you understand what needs to be done?"

"I'll use my _rinnengan_ to track any more cells. The places they are located may hint to what Kaguya was afraid of."

"Very good. I take you'll be leaving shortly after Naruto returns. It's unfortunate we can't have a Team 7 get together, but at least I'll have two of my students to accompany me."

"About that-"

Kakashi's eyes widened with realisation, and his mask creased which could only mean a smirk had formed underneath.

After his duties for the day, Sasuke met Sakura at her office in Konoha hospital. Her hair was tied up leaving only a few strands of hair framing her face, and she was wearing a white three-quarters lab coat. She perked up as Sasuke entered.

"So? What did Sensei say?"

"He approved."

Sakura yelped and threw her arms around Sasuke's neck, kicking the air. Sasuke had to readjust his feet to keep him from losing balance and toppling over. He grasped an arm off him, and pleaded, "Sakura, please. Not here."

She let him go and placed her hands behind her. "I'm sorry. But I can't help it!"

He looked at this woman in front of him, a grin on her face, and suddenly had the urge to show her what she meant to him. A feeling he had never felt before surged through his body, consuming him. He wanted her, in more ways than one. She took his hand and they left the hospital together, hands clasped under his black cloak, concealing their private moments from the rest of the world.

He could understand her happiness, it was what she had sought after for so many long hard years. Previously, he had always taken something from her, whether it her happiness, or time, and only leave her with the gift of sorrow. But this time he would make amends. They had spoken about it the night prior whilst on the bench sat beside each other. He could almost hear her remind him of the _maybes_ he had kept. He could still hear her as she pressed her head close to his, as they looked at the scroll from the hawk, as the twilight sky shone in her eyes, asking, "Will you take me with you?" And as he replied with a, "If that's what you want".

That evening he didn't take her to watch the sunset. Instead, he took her home. As they entered a baffled Sakura broke the peaceful silence, "Sasuke, aren't we going to watch the sun?"

Sasuke closed the door and pinned her against the wall, his hand above her. He leaned in close until she could feel his breath hovering near her ear. His face lowered closer, inch by inch. "You're the only sun I ever want to watch", his voice husky with desire. Before she could say another word he locked their lips together in a passionate kiss. She returned the favour. He felt her hands unclasp his cloak, and felt it drop to the floor with a soft thud. Her hands then tugged at his black shirt and he allowed her to pull it over his head, leaving his bare skin to glisten in the setting sun which was seeping through the window. She exhaled heavily, taking in his toned body. He watched her as she took it all in, although she had seen it all before, but not with a tension high in the air that made her feel things she had never felt before.

"Sasuke..."

"Sakura, is this okay?"

Gently, she placed her right hand on his bare chest and felt for his thudding heart. She placed her head on his chest, and whispered. "Yes. More than okay". She looked up at him, "Are YOU okay?"

He blushed a crimson red and stared into her green pool eyes as dusk painted the sky; the streaks of light emitting from the yellow orb, the brushes; the orange glow of the sun, the pallet. She whispered up at him, "It's okay if you're not ready." He lowered his arm from the wall and held her close. He kissed her candyfloss hair and felt it tickle under his lips. He loved her even more for understanding.

He used his _rinnengan_ to swap their position in the room with a pillow on the bed. The lay together, with her resting on top of him. He combed her hair with his fingers as his chest heaved up and down.

"Sakura. You're my..." She looked up at him expectantly. He was thinking of saying _You're my everything_ but his courage dissolved beneath her round eyes. "... best friend."

"I don't want you as a best friend. Isn't that what you said?"

He smiled. "I know. I just... I don't think I can give you everything until after..." His voice trailed off, unsure if he should admit his inner-most thoughts.

"After...?" She echoed.

"After marriage." He turned his head away in embarrassment.

She sat up, her hand still on his chest. "Marriage? Isn't that going too fast?"

"I don't mean now... But us Uchiha's... My clan has always been very traditional. Even living here, I'm crossing a line."

She moved her from his chest as if she had been electrocuted. "You're not thinking of moving out are you?" She raised her voice slightly, distraught.

He brought her down beside him again with his right arm, and chuckled softly. "No. My home is wherever you are".

Dusk settled into night, and they moved their way into the kitchen to eat their dinner, before falling into each other's arms again.

***

The next four days passed with sweet bliss, counting down the days until Naruto's return so they could make their awaited departure as a couple. They continued to watch the sunset together in different places in and around of Konoha, wherever they could in solitude - away from the prying crowds who sought to know more about their evolving relationship. On the fourth evening, sat atop the Second Hokage's stone head, with their heads resting alongside each other, Sasuke finally found the confidence to address what had been twisting and turning inside his mind like Naruto's threads of chakra as he formed a _rasengan_.

"Sakura", his voice melted her heart as usual, like dark chocolate which had been left in the sun for too long. "I think we should visit your parents. Together." The evening sky's light that shone upon his face camouflaged his blushes.

The suggestion surprised her. "Really? Are you sure, Sasuke-kun?" She had understood and respected that he wanted to keep things slow-paced and private, although she herself would be more than happy to announce to the world that she had finally won over the heart of the love of her life.

Her considerations for him softened his heart and his face as he looked down upon her. "I want to reassure them."

She looked up at him cheekily, an eyebrow raised and a cheek pushed to the side. "About what?"

His lips formed a wolfish smile that he reserved only for her, and his purple ripple-patterned eye bore into her as if he was looking directly into her pure soul. "That their _son-in-law_ is taking care of their beloved daughter." She burrowed her face into her hands, hiding her reddened face.

"I still can't believe he said that", she spoke into her hands, her voice muffled. "My Father is so embarrassing and annoying." His laugh lifted her face up from beneath her hands. His laughter was as free as the soft wind that blew into his face, causing his black hair to sway.

They had made their arrangements. They would have dinner with her parents the next evening. Lying in their bed, he held her close so that she slept with her head resting underneath his. He took his time to kiss as many strands of her hair as he could before he drifted off to sleep... He wanted this moment of pure happiness to last forever.

Sasuke had insisted he buy her parents flowers, and Sakura had agreed to meet him a block away from her parent's house. She had warned him that her mother was quite conservative, and that her father was as boisterous as Naruto, if not more. What she had neglected to warn him, however, was Ino's prying questions and irritating flirtatious gestures at her flower store.

The blonde female shook her head slightly so that her long locks fell across her waist as she peered over him from the counter.

"You know if you're going to gift me flowers, you don't need to be so shy about it." She fluttered her blonde eyelashes at him as he peered over the vast amount of flowers seated in pots. He ignored her remarks and studied the cherry blossoms, and wished that he hadn't suggested to be so noble.

She pursed her lips, her lipgloss complimenting the shape of her dainty lips. "I'm only teasing! Lighten up. You should know I'm engaged to Sai, anyway." She lifted her left hand up and allowed the light to reflect a thousand colours of the clear stone of her engagement ring. For the first time since entering the shop, Sasuke cast his eyes towards his lover's female best friend.

"So, are the flowers for Sakura? Are you finally asking her out?" She smirked, waiting for a response.

Sasuke relented. He had no knowledge of flowers apart from that cherry blossoms made _his_ heart flutter. He would have to give in to the florist's expertise. He gulped and murmured, "No... It's for her parents.."

Ino's lips parted in shock. "Her parents? Wait, what? You guys are an item? That bitch. I tell her everything, EVERYTHING about me and Sai and she doesn't have the decency to tell her best friend when she-" She was rambling incoherently and Sasuke let out an impatient sigh. Ino regained composure and led him towards the delicate white petals, as small as snowflakes, of sweet woodruffs that meant 'humility', paired with the larger petals of lilies, which were the perfect flowers for mothers. Sasuke took both as well as cherry blossoms, so that the purity of the white flowers would guard the innocence of the pink petals. As he made his way out she called out a 'good luck'.

He met up with Sakura who was leaning on a wall, dressed in modest clothing so that the hem of her purple skirt grazed just below her knee. Her upper body was clothed in a white crop top, the navel of her stomach covered by the rest of her skirt. Sasuke had taken it upon himself to wear something other than black, he had sported on a white t-shirt, the sleeves long enough to cover the ends of his missing lower left arm. He was greeted with a hushed, "What took you so long?" He responded with a strained, "Ino."

Sakura's parents were very welcoming, treating Sasuke like the son they never had, albeit for the jokes cracked at Sakura's expense. They had blessed the couple with their approval of travelling together. The cheery laughs, the groans, and the amused smiles hidden under a mask of vacant expressions died down when Sakura's mother mentioned the engagement and personal lives of her daughter's peers.

Mebuki lowered her cup full of red wine from her lips. "So Naruto and Hinata are coming back this Sunday aren't they? Oh, their wedding was just wonderful!" Mebuki peered over at her daughter, whose face pleaded not to ruin the night. "And I've been hearing rumours that Ino's been getting a lot of action lately, with, what's her fella called? Sai, is it?" Sasuke mused that Mebuki was not as conservative as her daughter had been led to believe.

"Mother!"

Kizashi's permanent smile on his face waned off at this comment, and his face grew with seriousness. "I don't really want to ask this-"

"Dad!"

"-But I need to know. Sasuke, you come from the Uchiha clan. I take you recognise the importance of waiting after marriage?"

Sakura hung her head and peered at Sasuke who was sitting beside her and mouthed a 'sorry'.

Sasuke looked up at the man sat opposite him, who had had a hand in raising the woman he had fallen in love with. "Sir, I can assure you I take the customs and traditions of my clan seriously. I would never do anything to go against my clan-" Sasuke raised Sakura's left hand to his lips and lowered it, fingers still intertwined. "-or to disrespect my family. Sakura is my family now."

Silence fell across the room, as the Haruno family were left stunned. The spell was broken with a guffaw from Kizashi Haruno. "Well that's just as well, since I never saw you as anything BUT my future son-in-law ever since Sakura's academy days". Kizashi continued to let out a throaty laugh.

Back in their own bed, Sakura apologised for her parents' behaviour. Sasuke smiled and stroked the tip of her nose before planting a kiss on her purple seal. Together they had eradicated any tensions, and he looked forward onto the horizon for what their future brought them.

"Do you think your parents would like me?" She asked, looking up at him.

Sasuke thought for a moment, before responding, "My mother would love you. My father would accept you for the strong shinobi you are". She sighed pleasantly and rested her head on his chest. She loved it when he spoke of his family.

His mind flickered back to Kizashi's comment of Sakura having fawned over the Uchiha since their childhood. And thought of how her crush has only ever grown from there, even when he left her, abandoned on a bench on a cool night. He looked at the woman lying beside him, making sure she was asleep, before breathing out, "I love you" into her soft locks.

The day had finally arrived. Sakura's bags were packed as Naruto and Hinata had started to unpack. Both Sakura and Sasuke had their last day free, and had agreed to meet the Uzumaki's at lunch. This time, Sakura decided she would buy flowers and relieve Sasuke from another journey to visit her pestering friend.

The Uzumaki's welcomed them in without a lack of personality; Naruto brought Sasuke into a head-lock and ruffled his hair with his new arm, and Hinata graciously accepted the flowers from Sakura. Their reunion was everything they had dreamt of: a cluster of laughter, bickering, wide grins, stories of the past and dreams of the future. Sasuke listened to Naruto boast about their honeymoon which included a spa gifted from the newly engaged Shikamaru, and a luxury restaurant where they dined with Choji and a familiar looking _kunoichi_ from Kumogakure.

Naruto looked at his two former comrades and eyed them suggestively. "So, you two are assigned on the same mission, hmm? That's convenient, eh Sasuke?" Sasuke returned the stare with daggers in his eyes.

Sakura blushed. "Well, now that Ino knows... It won't be long until the rest of the village finds out."

"Find out what?" Naruto rubbed his chin inquisitively.

Sakura looked at Sasuke, waiting for permission. He looked back at her and smiled. She held his lone hand into both of hers and let it fall in her lap, revealing a hint of their secrets of intimacy cloaked in love. A pretty blush rose from her cheeks and she let out a childlike giggle earning her gasps from the opposite end of the carpet.

"Oh Sakura! I'm so happy for you", Hinata placed her own hands in Naruto's. Naruto kissed his wife atop the head and looked back at his best friends. "It's about time."

Hinata's face brightened up as she realised something. "If you're leaving tomorrow, that means you'll miss Ino's and Sai's wedding".

"I know, I've already apologised to her this morning", Sakura responded. "I guess you'll have to take my place as bridesmaid." Sakura winked at Hinata.

Naruto was lost in thought about the confession that his soul brother had finally accepted the love of the woman who had pursued him as a life ambition. "You know, Sasuke, at the spa I bumped into that weird watery companion of yours-"

"Suigetsu", Sasuke corrected him.

"-yeah, him. Anyway, he was saying that when you lot resurrected the previous Hokages, the second stone-face guy mentioned that Uchiha's love fiercely. So...is that true, Sakura-chan? Is he fierce in-" Before he could finish, Sakura got up and whacked him across the head.

"Ow! Sak-u-ra-chan.."

Sasuke felt the former Hyuga's eyes flicker towards himself and then to her new husband, anxious to ease the tension and change the subject. She whispered something to her husband, and a blush paired with a cheesy grin spread across his face. His lifted his glass full of wine and raised a toast. "To family!" He clinked his glass with the rest of Team 7, and gulped it down, before resting his bandaged arm on his wife's stomach. Hinata's modest eyes peered up at her guests through her eyelashes. The rest of the day was filled with celebrations to new beginnings.

The Uzumaki's revelation had left Sasuke with a taste of jealousy in his mouth, one that he felt as a child with his life-long rival. Sure, he was happy for his best friend. But something tugged at Sasuke's mind, making him feel uneasy. Throughout the day he had watched Sakura as she had reacted and spoken about her peers' pregnancies, marriages and engagements. He could tell that a part of her felt uncomfortable about those topics - like she was on course to finally completing a jigsaw puzzle that had taken her an eternity to finish, but had found that at the last unsatisfactory moment, a piece was missing. He didn't want her to feign happiness. He wanted her to bathe in daylight, just like how she had taught him. He wanted her. All of her.

That evening as the sun had begun its descend, once again he took her home. They wouldn't be watching the sun today. He closed the blinds and closed his lips on top of hers. His kisses moved off from her lips and traced her neck, earning a moan, and went lower, lower still. She fought her urges and pushed his face away. "Sasuke-kun, are you sure?", she whispered, breathing heavily, her eyes pleading for him to say yes.

He activated his _Mangekyo Sharingan_ and sealed this moment forever in his memory. He pushed her towards the bed and breathed into her neck, "I need you." He brought his face closer to hers, and whispered, "Let me show you how Uchiha's love." They pulled away at the only barriers keeping their bare skins apart. He took his time to discover every inch of her body, and to trace the curves of her blessed skin. When she touched him, he felt electricity. Her gentle fingers brushed against his skin, and he knew he had made his place at home. Every graze of her lips were the heavens showering down galaxies. Every brush of her hair against his skin was the tingling of a thousand stars. Every call of his name was the breaking of a new dawn. Their bodies intertwined, their fingers interlocked, and their bodies became one. He could feel their heartbeats beat as one as they lay together at dusk, coiled in love. Only a thin sheet lay above them covering their modesty, clinging to their bodies. He felt at peace, and he knew she felt it too.

That night she slept soundlessly. But sleep would not take Sasuke. Instead, he lay there, looking up at the ceiling, realising the enormity of what he had done. He had betrayed his clan, he had disrespected her parents. He had tainted her. He had not yet committed to the sanctity of marriage, and yet he had taken her. He couldn't shift his feeling of guilt. As the hours stretched through the night, so did the weight of his sin. It was suddenly unbearable. Silently, he dressed and slipped away in the dead of the night, carrying all his burdens.

Previously, he had always taken something from her, whether it was her happiness or time, and gifted her with only sorrow. This time he left with her innocence, taking with him a heart cursed with ruins, his mind a labyrinth; and left her with a shattered heart full of broken promises.

He arrived at sunrise to a nearby town and stared off into the horizon. His heart weighed, full of regrets, and his face streamed with tears of torment. This time, even the daylight couldn't save him.


	8. Moonlight

His heart heavy full of burdens, like a bag full of broken glass, he trudged along the jungle of trees with twigs cracking below the soles of his feet. The light had fled his eyes and his heart like a candle in the wind. He was alone. Again.

The days felt like years and the nights felt even longer. That sun that used to lighten up even the darkest shadows had hidden itself away, and in its wake lay only lightning and thunderstorms. During the dull days, through the mornings until the evenings he would overuse his _rinnengan_ to jump from one dimension to another, looking for clues and search for invisible trails of white Zetsus. And rest in the woods once night had fallen. But even the moonlight could not calm his sorrows; nothing could heal the cracks in his heart.

As he lay atop the branches of a high tree at midnight, he fought to not give in to sleep. His dreams only tormented him, full of pink strands of hair and airy laughs that crushed his soul; dreams full of a delicate touch as two bodies merged into one as he so hungrily once desired, only now the memories were hands throttling his windpipe. His days were full of the remains of his left arm throbbing in discomfort and agony, a pain he hadn't felt since returning from his journey of redemption, which felt so long ago now. The pulsating of both his eyes as he overworked them on this life-long mission he had dedicated himself to were enough to make him lose all traces of sanity and cower into the darkness once more. No, not again. That was one promise Sasuke vowed not to break. He may have tarnished one of the lights in in his life with his transgressions, but the other one, the _blonde fool_ , still emitted a blinding force of light, like a lighthouse in the dark searching for lost wanderers. He vowed to himself not to break _that_ promise of bonds.

Hours stretched into days, and days stretched into weeks. His body ached, but more so did his heart; battered and bruised in a never-ending tunnel of darkness. He found that although on his previous travels he may have convinced the good people of the world of his changed heart, there were still people who would die, or die trying, to get a hold of his crimson _sharingan_. He could not stay in one place for long and so avoided towns unless necessary to refill provisions. The few times he did enter towns it was inevitable to bump into women, eyes full of lust and words cloaked in flirtations.

On the fifth week of his travels, he found himself low on food. The town he entered was desolate and quiet, the ground wet from the midday rain. The stalls denied foreigners resources, even vegetables, as it was scarce. Instead, he was pointed towards an inn that cost an eighth of the money he had earned from the small missions he had fulfilled whilst in Konoha. At the inn, his room was bare, save for the sleeping blanket on the floor and a wooden cupboard opposite the door. Dinner had been sent to his room, rice balls and tomatoes as he had ordered. The tomatoes were small and dried up, lacking of juice. He had been told he would have to take his tray and cutlery to the reception or he would not be given the breakfast which he had paid.

He ate his humble dinner deftly, and returned his waste to the reception on the lower ground floor. He felt a padding of feet pace behind him. When he turned it was gone, save for a glimpse of pink hair that escaped behind a wall. He activated his _chakra_ but did not sense any familar _chakras_ nearby, although he knew that his abandoned lover had always been the finest out of Team 7 in _chakra_ control, meaning she could easily conceal her presence. He followed the footsteps, silent as a cat prowling towards its prey. The pink woman slipped inside a room - before she could close the door, he teleported himself inside, swapping himself with a flower pot he noticed whilst the door was still ajar.

"Sakura, I'm sorry...", Sasuke began to explain himself.

"Who?" The woman turned around, and staring back at him were hazel-eyes flecked in gold.

Sasuke was taken aback. Had he fallen this low? She moved closer to him, her hips swaying with every step she took and laid a hand on his face, cupping his right cheek. He pulled her arm away, earning a soft laugh to slip from her lips. "So you're the famous Sasuke." She put her hand on her waist and admired him, her eyes undressing him as she shifted them from top to bottom. "I must say, you're more handsome than the rumours would suggest".

He grimaced. He turned to leave without another word, but the temptress blocked his path and forced herself on him, stealing away a kiss. His mouth became numb, and he could feel the poison from her tongue already take into effect. His eyes started to blur and he struggled to move his limbs. In a daze, he could see her hands reaching towards his right eye and he instinctively activated his _mankegyo sharingan_ and awakened his purple _susano_ , guarding himself from the pink-haired woman. He staggered slightly, under the effect of the poison, but managed to use his _rinnengan_ to escape with the portal he had opened, into another one of Kaguya's dimensions. He slowed his rapid breathing and went into a fetus position like Sakura had taught him and focused his _chakra_ onto a single point: his tongue.

The lone Uchiha had turned into the hunted once more, his lineage a curse that knew no bounds. Once upon a time he had wanted nothing more than solitude, but that dream had dissipated and in its place he had accepted daylight. But now, full of regrets, he no longer knew what he wanted, other than to protect his loved ones from the darkness. From himself, if need be.

He lay there, on the grainy bed of sand which the medic had once previously saved him from another lifetime ago. At that moment, he was overwhelmed with a fierce desire to feel her warm hands on him, as she healed him with her strength and soothing words. He longed for her plump pink lips to graze against his, and to become lost in her leafy green eyes: a field of love and comfort. But he lay there, skin cold under the moonlight of a different world, and a single tear strolled down his face.

* * *

Hours slipped away until Sasuke had regained composure and power in his left eye again. He sat perched within a bundle of leaves atop the highest tree he could find, and slept. Nightmares chased after him - he was following a trail of pink petals into a field of grass to find a woman standing under the sun. But as he reached her, the glow of the sun turned into a red moon and her hazel eyes bore into him, casting him away into a _tsukoyumi_ where he left the love of his life abandoned a thousand times over a thousand different lifetimes. He woke up panting, his body cold but clammy.

In the still darkness he heard nothing but the wind howling. He couldn't surrender to sleep again; he would force his body to restrain itself and stay awake. His ears perched up at the rustling in the leaves below him. He felt _chakra_ emitting from the bushes, and a flurry of pink hair. Sasuke had the advantage being on higher ground and aimed his ocular abilities of _amaterasu_ at the bushes below him and teleported away, convinced he had finished the deed.

He had teleported himself to a field that sat beside a waterfall, the water gushing down as if it could cleanse away all his sorrows if he bathed in it. Taking in the scenery, Sasuke felt a serenity he hadn't felt since he had made love. Sasuke was lost in thought, staring at his own reflection as his head nodded into sleep. His eyes snapped open as the earth quaked beneath him forming deep cracks on the ground, as deep as the crevices in his heart.

"Shannaro!"

The cracks met in the middle, resting crookedly under the fist of a woman. Her windswept pink locks flying around her, as her green eyes glared at the man that brought her heartache.

"Sakura!" Sasuke stood frozen in shock. Sakura stood up for a second, before losing the strength in her legs and began to fall, head almost hitting the ground. Sasuke caught her in his arms. He rested the unconscious woman on his lap. They always found their way into each other's arms, Sasuke mused. As he was staring at her fatigued face, and slender arms beneath a yellow cloak, he noticed burn marks on her neck and wrists. He unclasped the cloak, and found burn marks encasing both her arms. Tears filled his eyes and fell on her resting face as realisation dawned. She awoke at sunrise.

Her eyelids fluttered open, and a rush of regret and relief washed over him all at once.

"Sasuke-kun...", Sakura mumbled, her vision coming to focus. "Sasuke!" Her head jerked up so that she was sitting beside him on the cracked ground, grass and soil surrounding them.

His heart quickened at the sound of her voice calling his name. "Sakura... your arms... I-"

She slapped him. He blinked at her, her face furious. A face she only ever reserved for Naruto, he knew from his observations. "I'm sorry", his voice deathly quiet. "I thought you were someone else." She slapped him again. "Are you hurt? Why didn't you say anything back there, I could have extinguished the _amaterasu_ immediately". Before she could slap him again, he caught her by the wrist.

Her emerald eyes threatened to break into tears. "Never mind that. I was able to recover instantly using my mitonic regeneration." Her voice bitter. "But WHY Sasuke?" Her voice cracked. "Why would you leave like that? If you didn't want me to come, you could have just said." She furiously rubbed away her tears that had escaped with the back of her left hand. "Won't you apologise for THAT?"

Sasuke flickered his eyes to the side. "Go home."

"ANSWER ME!"

He looked at her with his mismatched eyes; one a purple vortex of pain, the other black as coal. And sighed. "I'm not good for you."

"That's not an answer."

He got up and turned away. She mirrored him and grasped his arm. "Tell me you don't love me, and I won't bother you again." She had cornered him, or so she thought. He transfixed his _sharingan_ onto her and cast her into a _genjutsu_ dream full of 'I don't love yous' and 'you're annoying'. She fell away into his arm again, and he left her leaning on the bark of a tree. If all he ever brought her was tragedy, why was he compelled towards her like she was his clarity? In solitude, why did he feel he was slipping into insanity, with her presence being the only remedy? These questions tugged at his mind, tormenting him. He took one last look at her sleeping profile, and vanished without a trace.

Sasuke stood in a meadow of grass watching the sunset alone, and as the full moon took its place in the sky. The setting sun was blinding him, but the light threatening to burn him was blocked by the emerging figure with shoulder-length hair, her hands on her waist.

Sasuke squinted his eyes. "You're blocking my view."

"I'm the only sun you ever want to watch, isn't that what told me? Or was that just another lie?"

"I've never lied to you."

She outstretched her hand to Sasuke, and Sasuke took it. She pulled him up so he was towering above her. "So we're getting somewhere now."

"How do you keep finding me?"

"I would pursue you until the ends of the earth, don't you ever forget it! Cha!" He smirked, before masking his face again into a vacant stone.

"I meant it when I said you could come with me... But I had to let you go."

"But why? Tell me", she pleaded, her voice shaking.

His voice fell to a whisper. "I can't keep hurting you. I disobeyed your father's wishes. I went against my clan. I don't deserve you."

Sakura held his face in her dominant hand. Her voice fell so it matched his. "Then don't hurt me. If I were to know sooner your feelings I would have pursued you sooner."

Sasuke lowered her hand from his face. " You know how I feel about you..."

"Do I?"

Darkness had fallen over them, with only the stars shining brightly against the moon. He reached out and felt her pink tresses before leaning in for a kiss...she took a step back, surprising Sasuke.

"I can't keep doing this Sasuke. Not anymore. I can't have you borrowing my love only for you to just throw it back in my face. I've just always wanted you to be truly happy, you know that. That's all I've ever wanted. With or without me, I would have been ok with it." She scoffed, droplets sprouting from her eyes. "Sure, it would have hurt like hell, but as long as I knew you're happiness is in tact, that's enough for me. Really.

"That's why for the last few weeks I've been preoccupying myself with Ino's wedding, and the hospital-"

Sakura had been rambling, and Sasuke found himself lost. Lost in her eyes. Lost in her words.

"Sakura," Sasuke interrupted. "If you have doubts...why are you here?"

She dented the tree beside her in frustration with a ferocious punch. "BECAUSE. Even if I learn to convince myself that I can live without you, which I'm not sure if I could, it's not just about me anymore." Her eyes filled with tears and finally poured down a waterfall, similar to that which Sasuke saw before. She sobbed her heart out in front of the man she was besotted over. Sasuke's heart broke into a million pieces, but yet he could not find it in himself to give her what she wanted. Yet again, he was unsure of his place in the world.

"Being hospitalised-", Sakura spoke between sobs and gasps. "- for a week-"

"Sakura", it suddenly dawned on Sasuke that when she had said she had been preoccupied at the hospital, it might have been as a patient. "Have you...have you harmed yourself?" His voice broke just a little. He would never be able to forgive himself if she had done something to herself over him. He had done enough damage.

"No, it's nothing like that", Sakura peered at Sasuke through her blurred vision of tears, her voice softening in wonder at his concern. "But Sasuke, I NEED to know the truth. Do you love me?"

"What difference would that make?"

"Everything."

Sasuke looked at her, his brows furrowed. His mind puzzled at why a confession was being treated as a life or death situation. They stared at each other for a few moments, in frustration, in wonder, the doors of reconciliation within sight but out of reach.

"Sakura, go home. Find someone, build a life with them-" It was suddenly all too much for her to bear. They could go on all night like this.

"What, and have them raise your child?!" Her words were full of venom, but he only heard the pulsing beating of their hearts beat as one. He stared at her in shock, lips parted. He blinked back tears which had come forth. He was speechless. The weight of the world came crashing down on him, lifted all his burdens and grief and vanished into thin air in one swift stroke. He couldn't take his eyes off her, he couldn't say the words that spun around his mind, not even when she took off, leaving trails of tears to follow.

He found his love by a lake, the full moon staring back at her in the water. Her eyes were as red as his _sharingan_ , complete with flecks of pain. He embraced her hands in his and stooped to one knee.

"What are you doing?"

"Something I should have done a long time ago."

By the full moon, he confessed his love, and exposed his secrets. "Haruno Sakura. I want to thank you. You are my everything. Even in the vast darkness, you're still able to reflect the sun like the moonlight. You've brought me only happiness where I've only brought you sorrow. Please accept my apology-" He kissed her on each of her fingertips. Sakura gasped as she realised where this was heading "-by doing the honour of officially becoming my family. Become my wife."

The only response he received were sobs and tears raining down on him. Even when he thought he was doing the right thing, it felt misplaced, Sasuke reflected. A rush of wind embraced them, before taking off again, leaving an army of pink rose petals and leaves at their feet. Sasuke rose awkwardly. "I.. I'm sorry if this isn't enough-"

"Idiot." She slapped a hand onto his chest and sobbed into him. "You've always been enough."

He pulled her face away by her shoulder and cupped her face in his hand, earning his hand to become wet with spilled tears. He whispered, "I really am sorry. I love you." She looked up at him, taking in his earnest face, searching it, studying it, and finally decided he had spoken the truth. She kissed into his hand that held her face.

She wiped away her tears on her cloak as yellow as the sun and looked up at him. "Sasuke. How is it possible that you're this beautiful in the dark?"

He smiled shyly. "It's only because the radiance of your beauty shines off on me. Sakura..." He caressed her face. "You're my sun."

"Then you're my moon."

He moved his hand lower until he was touching her stomach. "And this one will be the star that guides me in the dark." She smiled up at him, her heart at ease.

That night, they made love under the moonlight and a blanket of a thousand stars. The tension in the air had died down, leaving only the fragrance of flowers and the act of lovemaking in the open air. They used their cloaks to conceal themselves from the rest of the world. He traced and rediscovered every inch of her body again, sealing into memory the curves of her hips and the freckles on her back. The tingling sensation of her touch, and the feel of skin against skin, were enough to soothe his bodily aches and heal the wounds of his heart. He had already taken her innocence, but she had found him in the depths of darkness and turned his sins and songs of tragedies into an emblem of light. She had saved him, and gave him more than enough reason to stay. He kissed her stomach. What lay beyond those walls of skin was the combination of their blood, growing, moulding, from their love for each other. Sasuke felt that his unborn baby was like flicker of candlelight that attracted even the deadliest of moths. Afterwards, they lay side by side under the starry sky.

"Sakura."

"Hm?"

"You still haven't given me an answer."

She thought for a moment, contemplating to what he may be referring to, before giving him his answer. "Yes", she giggled. "My answer is yes. I'll be your wife."

For the first time in weeks, he slept in peace. All his troubles dissolving in the light reflecting off the moon.


	9. Aurora

Sasuke woke up to the morning sun with a pillow of grass under him, and a tickle of pink hair timidly brushing his left cheek. He looked at her sleeping form, her left arm wrapped around his own waist beneath the blanket of cloaks, and a coy smile spread across his face. He kissed her tangled hair, causing her to stir until her eyes fluttered open. The smile she gifted him was warmer than the sun. She shuffled closer and buried her nest of hair on his slightly tanned chest. "I missed you, Sasuke-kun," she muffled into him. 

"Hn." He stroked her hair lovingly, feeling the silky waves wash beneath his fingertips.

She spit out a giggle, and he knew that she knew the meaning behind his lack of words:  _ I missed you too. _

They took their time to dress and get ready for the day ahead, stealing stolen glances followed by light blushes all the while. Once both fully dressed, Sakura turned to Sasuke. "So, where to now? If you haven't already we should check out the Wind country, as that's where the Zetsu cells were first-"

"Sakura."

"Hm?"

"We need to get you home."

"What?! If last night taught us anything, it's that we NEED each other. And the mission-"

"-Can wait." Sasuke was defiant and would not budge. "You're my main priority right now. And the baby." Sakura's face softened at his words. "I can't have you risking yourself on these missions."

Sakura took a step forward towards Sasuke and brushed his dark hair away from his face so she was staring at Sasuke deeply, as if she could peer into his soul. "I can hold my own. You know that." She took his lone hand by the wrist and placed it on her stomach. "And we ARE home, if we're with you." 

Her use of 'we' caused a flutter in his own stomach; the unborn baby already binding them together into a small family. Sasuke leaned in for a kiss full of desire but understanding at her words. When they were done, he let his mouth linger over hers for a few moments more. 

"But Sakura...", his voice husky. "There's another reason I want us to go back to Konoha..."

"Tell me", her voice quivered as her lips almost grazed his as she spoke. He straightened his head, and lightly cupped his fingers under her chin so that she was looking up at his crimson red  _ sharingan _ and a ripple patterned  _ rinnengan _ . "To keep my promise. Make you my wife." 

The weight of his words caused her to collapse under him, falling into his muscular arms. 

***

When she finally awoke, she found herself on a mattress placed beside the window, allowing the sunlight to wash over her. Sasuke sat at the foot of the bed, her slurs of 'where are we' made his head instinctively turn towards her dazed voice. 

"We're at an inn," Sasuke said, his voice grave. "But we can't stay long, it's not safe."

Sakura sat up, so her feet met the carpeted floor. Her eyebrows furrowed. "Why is it not safe?"

Sasuke was hesitant in giving her an answer. Before Sakura could persist in her questioning, the roof caved in on them. In a blink of an eye, Sasuke grabbed Sakura - his lone hand went under her knees, and the remains of his left arm supported her back - and teleported using his  _ rinnengan,  _ and they both fell into a bed of sand. 

Sakura coughed out grains of sand before stuttering, "H-hey, this is, this is that place!" She looked at her fiance with bewilderment. Sasuke found himself constantly gravitating towards Kaguya's dimension of sand that stretched out endlessly, each time he needed to escape. The memories of being rescued from the desert would forever be fresh in Sasuke's mind - the look they shared that fateful day when he caught her burned arm in his, as she collapsed into his chest, had stirred something in him that he had thought had died when he abandoned the village. But he would always gravitate back to her, and the places that held remnants of memories of her was where Sasuke found solace even in his darkest hours. Sasuke exhaled softly. It was time to be upfront with his lover. 

"Sakura. If you're going to stay with me, you might as well know." His face was solemn. "There are still people after the  _ sharingan _ . That's the second inn I was tracked down in this week."

"We could have taken them!" He held her defiant stare, before Sasuke sighed. He had been keeping a close eye on her, and the patterns of her collapses had been bothering him. He had begun to doubt whether she was fit to fight in such a condition.

"Sakura... there's something you're not telling me... that's also the second time you fainted."

Sakura dug her toe into the sand, and licked her lips meekly. "I... must confess. This pregnancy has been quite hard on me... and this is only the beginning. I can only guess that the excessive drinking didn't help-"

Sasuke looked at her incredulously, shaking her left shoulder. "You did what?"

Sakura shrugged his arm off, breaking out of his grasp. "That was before I knew I was pregnant!" She explained, exasperated. "You leaving... I needed to find a way to deal with it..." Her gaze cast towards the specks of sand swarming around their feet.

For a brief moment, the reality of the consequences of his actions once again cast a shadow over him. "I'm sorry". He would live the rest of his life apologising for his mistakes, trying to piece together the cracks in her heart. Sakura's eyes lit up at the sincerity of his voice. "Sasuke... It's okay now." Her face wore a thin-lipped smile along her lips, the intention to reassure Sasuke, but he had other things weighing on his mind. 

"Sakura, who else knows about the baby?" His voice became serious, heavy with concern.

"Shizune," Sakura confessed. "She was the one who confirmed my pregnancy. She promised not to tell anyone, especially not Lady Tsunade. I couldn't have faced her if she knew... But I trust Shizune. She managed to convince Naruto, Ino and everyone else I was suffering from alcohol poisoning. God, what they must think of me." 

"So only Shizune," Sasuke echoed. 

Sakura bit her lip. "Actually, there is one other person. The person that helped me track you down..." Sakura winced. Sasuke gave her a look full of questions. "It was a friend....of yours." 

Sasuke squinted his eyes, trying to piece the puzzles together, before finally seeing the full picture. "Karin. Tsk. Really?"

"Kakashi informed me of her whereabouts. She was.....difficult at first, and that's putting it mildly", she said dryly. "But she sensed your chakra inside me when I collapsed at her feet, and, well, the rest is history." 

Sasuke could only imagine that the female Uzumaki had put aside her personal feelings to cooperate with the woman who held his offspring in her womb.

"Sakura. No one else can know. If word went out that there was an unborn Uchiha... My clan. My blood. It's a curse... I wouldn't wish it on anyone." Sasuke looked at Sakura's eyes, reflecting his own mismatched eyes, hoping she understood his meaning. Sasuke was never good with words, and desperately needed Sakura to understand the danger their unborn child would be in. If Sakura's pregnancy became common news, this new flicker of light would soon become a target, and the flicker would die out as quick as it was conceived. 

Tears sprang up in her emerald eyes. "What are you saying?" Her voice shook with strained anger. "I thought you wanted this baby. I thought you were happy. I thought that this is what you wanted. I don't understand!" She shook her head vehemently, her eyes shut tightly as droplets sprang away from her face and moistened the ground beneath. 

Sasuke took a step closer, and held her beneath his arm, so that her cries were muffled out by his black cloak. He whispered into her hair words of comfort. "That is what I want. But I also want it to stay safe." His fingers tightened around her waist. "I NEED it to stay safe. And you. Do you understand, Sakura?" Her whimpers stifled to a stop, and she looked up at him, blinking back tears that threatened to spring forth. "So we can't even tell Naruto?" 

He smiled down at her. "No, not even that idiot." She grinned up at him, a light blush formed on the creases of her cheeks as she did so, complimenting her locks of hair. "Now, let's make you an Uchiha." His eyes reflecting in hers was like an aurora breaking into the sky.

* * *

The couple had made their way back to their world, and were skipping from tree to tree to find the town the Hokage had informed them through a letter to travel to. Sasuke could almost still feel Sakura's revitalising chakra as it energised him, bringing the powers in his  _ rinnengan _ back to life, whilst the black patterns of her  _ byakugou _ laced around her toned arms, like tattoos coming to life. Her presence shifted the heavy air of the desert making it lighter, and even back beneath the blue sky they knew so well, her presence calmed him and he felt at ease.

Once back beneath the familiar rays of the sun, the first thing they did was write a letter to Kakashi informing him of their plans of marriage, but also the continuation of their travels. Sasuke didn't expect a response for the next few days, considering that a marriage plan would be at the bottom of a list of priorities for the Hokage who was inundated with multiple requests a day. However, the ever eager former Sensei of theirs had responded within the hour, and had pinpointed marriage registration offices throughout the five different major countries, circling in red the closest ones to them, and had also signed his authorisation as Hokage, as well as his blessings as their former Sensei. Sasuke received a second letter from the former copy-cat ninja, a letter meant for his eyes only. It read of marital tips from the Icha-Icha series. Sasuke incinerated it under his  _ amaterasu _ before sparing it a second glance, and before Sakura could ask what the letter contained.

The high walls of the next town appeared before them, and Sasuke and Sakura jumped down to meet the paved floor. The town gates loomed over them, a light grey, almost white under the twinkling sun. They entered the town, past the gates of purity, and into a new chapter of their lives. The marriage registration building was also white, the colour of innocence and purification. Neither of which Sasuke was, but everything that Sakura represented. Inside the building, the floor and walls alike were tiled with marble, their reflections winking back at them where ever they looked. Pillars spouting out pink and white flowers stood in every corner of the room, welcoming them in. Sasuke felt the brush of her gentle fingertips alongside his, and he peered over his right shoulder to look down at her. She looked up at him adoringly and whispered, "Are you ready, Sasuke-kun?" He confirmed by taking hold of her hand, and they walked together to the marble desk.

Sasuke watched admiringly as Sakura explained their situation to the woman behind the desk. His lover brought forth the letter with the signed Hokage's seal. He watched as Sakura waited patiently, and as she looked back at him with a smile that melted his heart. He was still watching her small frame when she tugged at his sleeve. "Sasuke-kun?" This might have been the third time she called his name, but he was unaware; the thought of forever sealing his fate with hers was overwhelming, and drowned everything else out.

"Sasuke," Sakura repeated. "We'll have to wait until nightfall, until they prepare everything."

Sasuke zoned back in. "Don't we just sign a document? That's what Kakashi said."

Sakura blushed. "Erm, yes... but I requested that a room be set up so we can officiate our marriage properly... like a small wedding." Her eyes flickered side ways, and briefly met his, before casting it aside again. "And... I thought, that maybe, we could do some shopping whilst we're here? Like, buy wedding outfits... I hope that's ok, Sasuke-kun?" She met his gaze again.

"Ah," Sasuke replied, with a slight smirk playing at his lips, the corner of his lips twitching upwards.

Sakura took that as approval. She beamed back at him. "We're to meet here at 9:30, after dusk!" She giggled. And with that, she took off. Leaving him to stand staring at her back as she disappeared outside.

***

Sasuke journeyed around the town, sparing glances at the busy stalls and entering shops where female customers and staff alike fawned over him. The lone Uchiha suddenly regretted not reading the tips Kakashi had sent him - maybe it would have contained tips on how grooms should dress, or what to gift your new bride? He knew that Naruto had gifted his wife a house as a wedding gift, but Sasuke, although a man of action, was not a man of extravagant gestures. And they did not have a permanent home as of yet anyway, Sasuke reflected. Sasuke resigned defeat and accepted that he would not be able to find a suitable gift.

Sasuke sighed and entered the last shop he had the patience for and allowed the staff to fit him into a tuxedo, the wedding attire of the townspeople, unlike the kimonos that were traditionally worn in Konoha. The clothing sticking to him like a layer of skin, showcasing his muscular chest and arms. As the staff were tying his bow and cuffing his sleeves, he spied a sewing machine in the corner of the room. The silver of the machine stared back at him. The machine reminded him of his mother, and he wished she could see him now, all grown and ready to start a family. The feelings that tugged towards his mother, now shifted towards his father - he wished his father could see him say "That's my boy" - or 'girl' - to his own child. And for his beloved older brother to watch him as he had become the man his brother always knew he could become. His family, all deceased, were remnants of his past, tucked away in the recesses of his heart. Those memories were black and white, and would forever be held close to him, as they had shaped him into a man worthy to bear the Uchiha name. As he exited the shop, dusk had fallen; with a new suit, Sasuke walked towards a path of new memories: filled with daylight.

* _....I once believed love would be black and white....* _

_ *....But it's golden. Like daylight...* _

Sasuke entered the registration building once more, and was led outside to a courtyard. The evening sky had dulled to a deep blue, the specks of light in the sky guiding his vision. With every step he took in the lush grass beneath him, the fine blades stroked his ankles, and tea lights lit up, one by one in a field of darkness. Step by step, he grew closer and closer, the path leading to the altar. Light fell upon his surroundings, the garden walls were dressed in flowers of every colour, encasing those within its walls with a fragrance so sweet it made Sasuke's eyes water. Out of the darkness emerged four female staff wearing all white ensemble, white confetti in hand. Beyond the alter lay the male staff, dressed in black, who was awaiting to officiate the marriage with a document and a pot of ink in hand. Somewhere behind him, a violin started playing, harmonising with the beating of his heart. Despite all that was happening around him, Sasuke only had eyes for one.

Her. Sakura.

She stood there under the moonlight, her back to Sasuke. Sasuke drank in all of her: the way her feet had slid neatly into black heels, stilletos as sharp as daggers digging into the soft soil as they supported her petite frame. Sasuke noticed how her lean legs hid behind a curtain of a red sparkly dress, and how the dress hugged her figure so the slight curves of her body became prominent, shaping her body that he knew so well. Her hair hung skimming just over her bare shoulders, clipped to the side with a red rose. As he edged closer, he noticed that her eyes hid under a veil of blushes and elongated eyelashes. He stood beside her, and they stood side by side. He looked down at her and watched as she sunk him in, her gaze taking in every inch of him under the moonlight, until their eyes met. The emerald of her shined brighter than the tea lights, the moon and the stars put together. She was his light. She was his everything. They shared a secret smile and they both knew what it meant. Love.

She grasped the pen, and he held his hand over hers, her soft skin warming his in the coolness of the night. Together they dipped it into the pot of darkness, and entwined their fates together with a signature over the pure white document, signing:  _ Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Uchiha _ . The deed was done. A simple ceremony filled with heightened emotions. He would no longer be known as the 'lone Uchiha'.

The marriage officiant cleared his throat, earning looks from both Uchiha's. "You may now exchange your gifts," he spoke.

Sakura brought out a bouquet of daffodils and cherry-blossoms and handed it to Sasuke. "It's not much but..." He took them without hesitation and smelled them. They smelt of her. "It's perfect, thank you." He spoke in a low tone so only she could hear. "My wife." Her crimson blush reappeared, earning her a smirk from her beloved husband.

Sasuke could feel the officiant's eyes at him, waiting. The seconds that passed felt like years. Cold sweat trickled down as he felt the weight of the staff around him, wondering what the famous Uchiha would gift his bride. He was about to admit defeat, when it occurred to him. In the blink of an eye, Sasuke blew a dragon flame into the sky, putting on a show and receiving gasps. The bouquet of flowers seared in the process, petals flew around them like fireworks lighting up the sky. He looked at Sakura, who a second ago, her eyes held confusion, but now only held awe as the deep blue sky broke into a cascade of neon colours. Hues of pink and blue filled the sky: a river of aurora rained down on them, a shower of lights blessing their marriage. He heard a tiny gasp escape her lips as she uttered, "It's beautiful..." 

The moment of wonder fleeted away at the interruption of the marriage officiant once more. He cleared his throat before announcing, "Sorry to interrupt but we need to take you to your room as part of the service and close up. So if you do us the honour, Mr Uchiha, you may kiss the bride." 

Sasuke's eyes widened. He was not expecting to display physical affection in front of an audience. To his dismay, his wife leaned in close, a tint of rose sitting on her cheeks, her eyelids shielding her vision as she waited expectantly. The female staff held their confetti loosely, ready to bombard the newly weds once they shared a kiss. Sasuke would do anything to be alone with the pink-haired beauty right now and do more than kiss her, but never in front of others. The officiant coughed, signalling impatience. Sasuke leaned closer to his wife....and used his index and middle finger to poke her on the forehead. Sakura's eyes flew open. It was as if his touch had spoken a thousand confessions. A whirlwind of white confetti encompassed them, and the wedding came to an end. 

***

Thanks to the Hokage's seal of approval, the Uchiha couple had been granted a special room to spend the night, one only reserved for special guests. The king sized bed was blanketed in red rose petals, and a feast lay upon the desk, waiting to be touched like a new bride. Sasuke was torn from his observations by the chime of a soft voice. "You look even more handsome tonight, Sasuke-kun." He turned to face her, an amused smile playing on his lips. "I didn't know that was even possible." 

He silenced her with a ferocious kiss. His hands stroked her naked shoulder blade, sneaking upwards until it found her collarbone. He traced lower, his fingers entangled into a necklace he hadn't noticed before, and went lower, searching for her beating heart. She pulled away from his kiss, gasping. His lips came down again, but she stopped him with her right index-finger, so he kissed that instead. 

"Wait, Sasuke-kun," she panted. 

"For what?" He growled. "I've waited long enough." 

She giggled at his eagerness. "I have one more gift for you-"

"You are my gift." 

Sakura was speechless for a second, before resuming. "This baby..." She took his hand and let it trace the flat of her stomach. "I've decided. I want you to name the baby. After your brother...if that's okay?" 

He looked at her. It hadn't even crossed his mind, but somehow she was able to read the deepest desires that lurked in the corners of his heart before he could realise it was even there. Tears formed in his eyes but he blinked them away before they could fall. As quick as lightning, he pinned her against the wall, ready to express his love but instinct took over and he growled into her ear, "You're so damned annoying, you know that?"  _ I love you. Thank you. _

He didn't wait for a response. He gently massaged her dress where her heart lay beneath. She moaned out his name and in return he spilled out the secrets of his heart. Every graze of his lips against her skin was an 'I love you'. Every stroke of his fingers a 'thank you'. His hand then moved beneath the dress, trying to find an escape route for her skin to breathe, to rescue her from the tightness of the seams. He heard his name roll off her tongue like a lullaby. 

"Sasuke...", she murmured. He lifted his face to find hers. "I only bought this dress for you to take it off," she panted.

He loved all her confessions dearly. This was no exception. He smirked at her. She lifted her body away from the wall, and guided his hand to find the zipper hiding beneath silks of red. 

"It is a beautiful dress..." He muttered. She turned around so that he could have full view of the zip, but he stopped before he pulled it down. He titled his head and peered at her back, lost in thought. Sakura turned her head around. 

"Darling... what's wrong?" 

"Something's missing." 

She turned around fully. "What do you mean, Sasuke-kun?" 

Sasuke closed his eyes and smiled. He now finally knew what to gift Sakura as a wedding present. Not something that would dissipate in a blink, but something permanent, that she can wear proudly for all the world to see. "A Uchiha crest." 

Sakura's eyes widened. "U-Uchiha?" 

"Yes. You are my wife after all." 

That night, they rediscovered each other's bodies again, breathing in each other's scent and kisses working their way round each other's bodies as if it was for the first time. The softness of the strands of her hair that flowed through the gaps of his hand were like the threads of fate that brought them together, time and time again. Each tug of his own coarse black hair, and every rhythm of thrust their hips enjoined in was like a pure soul dragging his own out of the depths of darkness where only loneliness slept, and out into the golden sunlight. Their limbs intertwined, their fingers interlocked, and their bodies became one; he would never let her go, he vowed. She confessed to him her desires which he gave into willingly, and he confessed to her his love; there was nothing more she could do to satisfy him more. Her being was enough. If anything of what they had done before felt like it was cloaked in sin or guilt, now it was only cloaked in innocence and purity. He had redeemed himself once more, and had found himself back into her toned arms where she kept him safe from all his fears and doubts. He was home. 

After they were done, his fingers traced her bare back, forming the outline of the Uchiha crest. She nestled into him, her face burrowed under a nest of hair beneath his chin. His chest heaved as the weight of her head soothed his heart that lay beneath. She had found the crooks in him and sewn them together; now he would have fabric sewn for her, forever making him hers. 

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment detailing your thoughts!
> 
> Update: I went back to edit chapter 'Twilight' so that they conceive their child in June and not April.


	10. Sunset

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I edited the chapter 'Twilight' making Naruto's honeymoon 3 months long so that the child was conceived in June.
> 
> In this chapter I make reference to Taylor Swift's song 'August'; check out her new album 'folklore'.

Sasuke woke up to his wife's barefoot feet padding against the marble flooring of the room as she tiptoed to the shower, light on her feet, not meaning to wake him. But he awoke anyway, and trailed after her. The droplets of water that was clinging from her wisps of hair assisted in covering her scarlet face like tassels. The teardrops of warm water that slid along their two bodies washed away her feelings of fluster and eased her as he held her against him. He whispered into her ear, "Sakura, I'm sorry". She massaged the stump of his left arm, kneading it softly with tips of her slim fingers and asked, "What for? You didn't run off or tell me to go like before." Her tone was sardonic, there was a hint of playfulness as he realised she was teasing him. He frowned at her comment, even if it was a lighthearted joke, and used his index finger to raise her face towards his.

"I know that's not the wedding you wanted. I'm sorry you couldn't have your dream wedding." His voice was low as he exposed his concerns.

She met his mismatched eyes with her emerald ones, studying his tender face. She chuckled before replying, "Oh Sasuke. I've only ever dreamed to be by your side. So thank you. It was perfect." He melted under her words and a flush of red crept up his neck. He demonstrated what she meant to him under a waterfall of heaven.

Afterwards, they had eaten morsels of the feast from what was left of the night before, heating it up in the microwave that sat at the corner of the table top. They sat cross-legged on the purple cushions seated on the floor, and Sasuke feasted on the remaining rice balls whilst Sakura dipped hers in curry. There was a peaceful silence that fell over them, and Sasuke prayed that the rest of his days would be like this, filled with harmony and simplicity. He was still chewing a mouthful of food when he turned towards her voice. 

"Sasuke-kun?" She outstretched her right hand towards him, fingers placed skilfully around two wooden sticks that was balancing a tomato dressed in brown fluid within its grasp. Watching her was like watching the sunset: she was always filled with warmth. His lips parted, and she deftly allowed the chopsticks to release its red prisoner into his mouth, the juice squeezing out as the walls of his mouth closed around it. He attempted to return the favour, but as her dainty lips parted, he thought of how satisfying it would be to feel her lips against his.....and the ball of rice fell on her white bathrobe, earning a soft giggle to sputter out of the lips he loved so much. She kissed him lightly on the cheek to soothe his embarrassment. 

They walked hand in hand towards the store he had bought his wedding suit from and requested outfits for his wife with the Uchiha crest to be woven at the back on each of them. She pursed her lips at him in disappointment, but her eyes gleamed knowingly when he rejected her kiss in front of the spectators with a poke on her forehead. They were to pick up the outfits that evening and so spent the rest of the day enjoining in each other's company, spending the first day as a married couple at a festival they were recommended to just outside the town. 

Unlit pink, blue and orange lanterns decorated the sky, held by thin pieces of grey wires attached to the buildings. They garbed themselves in kimonos, pink and sky blue respectively. Both their kimonos were covered in patches of white feather designs. Her hair was neatly tied into a bun with chopsticks, and only a few loose strands of her hair framed her face. Her left slender arm slid through his as they checked out the stalls. Sasuke watched as she giddily ran up to a man sat beside a hammer game. With her enormous strength that never failed to impress Sasuke, she picked up the hammer, raised it over her head, and then brought it back down so that the mallet came into full force with the lever, causing it to rise faster than a sonic boom, and break the bell on top, and wink into the sky. Sasuke watched in amusement as she argued and negotiated with the man until he accepted that her prize be bags of cash rather than the displays of soft toys that were pinned up behind him. She treated herself to some dango glazed in a deep brown mitarashi sauce and offered Sasuke a bite. 

"Sakura, you know I don't have a sweet tooth," he refused her softly, and gently pushed her hand away. 

"Oh come on! How can you say you don't like something if you've never tried it? These are better than the ones from Konoha, anyway." She waved the dango in front of him, taunting him, until it slipped from her fingers and left a stain on his face. 

For a few seconds they just stared at each other, her eyes wide and his narrow. "S-Sasuke, I'm sorry!" She wiped away the sauce from the edge of his face with a finger and licked it. This moment of intimacy was too much for Sasuke in a public space. "Sakura..." He sighed. He could feel her gaze on him, wondering what he'll do next. He lowered his head so that their foreheads were almost touching. He strained his voice, "I can only handle  _ your _ sweetness". His tone was as sharp as a dagger sounding almost like a threat, but his words were as sweet as honey. He was met with an arched eyebrow and small smirk. "Well, I love you too." She left a small peck on his cheek and bounded off before his groans could reach her ears. 

He found her resting under the shade of a tree, amidst the buzzing crowds. "I would have thought you'd be checking out the rest of the stalls," he said as he approached her, his face a mask void of emotion, wary of any curious onlookers. 

As he stepped closer he noticed her right hand was seated on her stomach, and that a pained expression was painted on her face. "Heh, yeah..." She winced, before screaming out in pain. Sasuke flashed towards her, crouched down so he was at level with her, concern drawn all over his face. "Sakura, what's wrong?" He asked, alarmed. "Is it the baby?" Her agonising in pain was too much for him to bear. It was as if the earth itself was crumbling. Tears spilled out of her eyes and she looked up at him. 

"Why such a sad face, darling?" She spoke through gritted teeth. And it was at that moment that he realised that she had already started working her own chakra onto herself, healing herself, and soothing his worries. He sat down beside her on the soft grass that carpeted the ground, and allowed her head to fall on his shoulder as she continued to heal herself, not caring who stared. They sat like that together under the shade of a lone tree in the middle of a crowded street, listening to the chatter of people fade into the wind until she made it known to him that she could walk back to the town. 

With every step that Sakura took, Sasuke held his breath, dreading the worst. It came to the point where he wrapped his lone arm around his wife to support her lower back. "Sasuke, I'm fine! Really!" She reassured him. His brows furrowed, his hold on her only becoming firmer. 

"It was just cramping. It's normal."

"Tsk."

"I'm a medic!" 

He exhaled. He had become convinced that the sickly sweet dango from earlier was the suspect, the sheen of the sauce coated in poison. 

"Darling, do you really doubt my skills?" Her right hand went to her waist. She started to list all the different types of poisons she had either come across or read about in the last couple of years, and described the texture, smell and colour of each one. Her vast knowledge of the medical field never failed to fascinate Sasuke, it was one of the things he had grown to admire about her since his journey of redemption ended all those months ago. Despite the hint of irritation in her voice, Sasuke couldn't help but notice how she leaned into his touch as they continued walking back to the town and into the store. Once they had finished their arrangements within the town, they headed out on their travels at sunset. The humid night of July begged for their cloaks to be unclasped, and so they walked hand in hand, pink hair barely touching the Uchiha crest that was woven into her back. 

*** 

Another two weeks passed full of sleepless nights and days full of naps for Sakura, leading them to come to a mutual decision that Sakura would be the look out during the nights whilst Sasuke watched over during the day. They had accepted that they would not be covering any large distance, but his stubborn wife still persisted on journeying onto the WInd country for the sake of Sasuke's mission. Sasuke made the decision to take detours, to take advantage of the time spent travelling with Sakura to show her the many stunning sites he had come across during his redemption journey. But still, Sakura would always be the most captivating site he would ever lay his mismatched eyes upon. The sound of her sighs as she rested her head upon his whenever he showed her the rippling waterfalls, the erupting volcanoes, the bursting fountains, a city of flowers, and the vast oceans as the sun shone on the water like a million mirrors were bathing underneath, were enough to make him feel a tranquillity he swore he had never known before. The way her veridian eyes shone under the setting sun made him want to hold her close forever, and pray that she never knows the aches of pain again. However, it was at the end of those two weeks where he awoke under the blanket of darkness to her muffled cries in the dead of the night. He ripped off the covers of his sleeping bag and went to sit on the rock his wife was perched upon. 

"Sakura?" He whispered. 

She furiously rubbed at her eyes, concealing the traces of the footprints of her sorrows. And she smiled at him. It was the fake smile that broke him. "Darling?"

"You were crying." He was blunt as a dagger. He didn't leave room for any denial. He watched as she worried at her lip. He traced the vanished tears with his thumb. "Tell me."

"You'll hate me," her voice trembled, and the tears came running free again. 

"I can never hate you," he promised. "Tell me." 

Her unstable hands found her face to catch her sobs and shield her distraught profile. "I-I'm scared, Sasuke. I'm a terrible mother and the baby isn't even born yet. What if... what if... what if it's never born?" Her voice broke at the end, asking the stillness of the night to keep her fears a secret. He held her to his sculpted chest, puzzled as to where this was coming from. But he had chosen to let her cry her heart out, uninterrupted. "The cramps... they've been getting worse... But I've been channelling my chakra onto my abdomen as not to worry you. I'm scared. What if my drinking really did affect the fetus? I promise you I stopped as soon as I found out. But drinking heavily for four weeks straight... I guess Lady Tsunade and my parents' drinking habits eventually rubbed off on me. I'm sorry Sasuke. I always make a mess of things. It wasn't supposed to be like this." She gripped his shirt, knuckles turning into a pale white shadow. He stroked her hair as she continued. "The signs of m-m-miscarriage...abdominal cramps, bleeding..." She wept into his shirt, the top buttons were undone so he felt the contact of tears against skin. He kissed her seal and she looked up, staring into the scarlet red of his  _ sharingan _ . 

"Sakura, it's okay," he soothed her, wiping away her tears with the caress of his thumb. 

"How can you say that?!" 

"Ssh. It's okay. Trust me. I can see the baby's chakra -  _ our _ chakra - inside you. It's okay." Her face contorted from the broken, distressed face it was into a glimpse of hope. For once, he was her light shining faintly in the dark. "As long as it has you and me, it'll be fine. We'll be fine."

***

They had reached the Wind country within a week, paid their respects to the Kazekage in Sunagakure, gathered intel and journeyed in the desert of their own world. The Kazekage had thanked Sakura for her efforts in helping to create a children's clinic. She promised she would visit the other three great villages to assist in their medical research. 

August slipped away into a moment in time; summer sipped away like a bottle of wine Sasuke would pour for himself at diners. The hot air of summer soon wilted away into the coolness of Autumn, which soon shifted into the cold breeze of winter. They had travelled to the different villages assisting in research and medical examinations as their contribution towards the alliance of the five great shinobi lands. Sakura would hold back in using her own abilities to perform surgery, and would rather participate in training and advising the medics of the other villages. Throughout their travels together they had confirmed Sakura's suspicions: if she used a certain amount of chakra, her chakra levels would deplete at a faster rate due to most of it being used to help the baby with its development. And so it was agreed that Sasuke would limit the use of his  _ rinnengan,  _ so as to not become reliant on Sakura's healing powers.

As their child grew within her, Sakura would conceal their secret with her oversized cloak, in turn obscuring her announcement that she too was an Uchiha. They now were travelling back to the familiar village he knew his wife regarded as a haven. The more they travelled back, the thicker the trees grew around them. They intended to return to Konoha before her due date, March 28th. Her birthday. He wanted his new family to feel safe, starting with a bright future under the daylight that shone through the cracks of a thousand leaves. 

Seven months pregnant, and she was as beautiful as ever. Her pink locks had grown and now cascaded down so it covered her Uchiha crest when she was free of her cloak. Her pregnant form aroused Sasuke, her swollen breasts had become his cushion of comfort and her round stomach was his source of happiness. One night she had captured him staring at her bump, and she concealed it with her new tanned cloak - her previous yellow cloak had been discarded due to it's discolouring from vomit stains. He removed the curtain of her clothing and kissed her bump. Her insecurities clouded her and she moved his handsome face away. "Darling, please... I look ridiculous. My cheeks are so plump, and all this weight, how much training and dieting would I have to do to get my figure back?" She groaned. 

"Sakura." He stared at her with a devilish smirk. "You should know, you don't have anything to be insecure about. Besides, your stomach is the best part of you." She flushed a scarlet red, redder than his  _ sharingan _ that was peering inside of her. He took her left hand and kissed her fingertips. "Other than your abilities." His trail of kisses led him up her arm, nibbled at her left ear, and up to her forehead. "And your intelligence." He lowered his head so their foreheads touched, their hair mingling with each other, black and pink, whispering words of love to each other in the cold wind. He planted a soft kiss on her lips. "And your voice." He rose up and lifted her up gently, and led her towards their tent. Once inside, he helped her lay down and he lay beside her. Their love-making had become more infrequent as time passed due to her soreness and the swelling of her stomach. Sasuke was concerned he would somehow harm the baby, but Sakura would reassure him with all her medical expertise that that would not be the case. They lay side by side, and ever so gently treating her like a delicate flower, he showed her all the other parts he loved. All of her. Later, he massaged her swollen ankles as she sighed into slumber.

***

They passed through another month in heavenly bliss, save for her growing pains in her nether regions and her backaches. They were sitting by a riverbed, the cobbles that lay beneath them felt smooth under their feet. The fallen leaves in the river sailed away bobbing up and down like streams of consciousness fading in and out. Her head rested on his chest as his arm was wrapped around her bump as they watched the orange streaks of the setting sun grow outwardly on the shimmers of the surface of the water. He stared into the reflection of the sun, feeling the baby kick and reminisced the first time he had felt their unborn child kick: at 24 weeks of pregnancy, they were huddled by a fireplace in an inn at the foot of the mountains in Kumogakure. The Uchiha couple had been holding each other in an embrace, fighting the cold of winter together, their hands clasped together over her bump when they first felt the kick. Sasuke remembered having turned his face away from his wife, so as not to show her the tears that had brimmed in his eyes. At that moment he swore he had never been happier, his heart almost exploded out of his chest. Even now, 8 months pregnant and 7 months his wife, she only enlightened him. Enchanted him. He was seduced by her love. She had worked her way around the labyrinth of his mind and had unlocked the secrets of his heart. He found that she had kept true to her vows she had professed to him as a  _ genin _ : everyday truly was a joy and there was nothing he regretted about her presence beside him. He kissed her neck as they sat atop the riverbed. 

"Darling, what was that for?" 

"Sakura. Thank you for everything." 

He felt her head shift beside his, he shifted his form in rhythm with hers until they were gazing into each other's eyes. His gaze then fell towards her lips, and he leaned in ever so slightly... until he felt a tap on his forehead. 

"Maybe next time, Sasuke." She held a grin on her face, complete with a rose tint. Maybe she was sometimes annoying, Sasuke mused. 

Before he could steal what he wanted, the last embers of light welcomed in a whirlwind crashing into them. The sole  _ Sharingan _ wielder picked up his pregnant wife and escaped into the trees with a blink. But just as he was settling her down onto the grassy bed, they were met with the full force of a tsunami. Swiftly, he struck the tsunami with his  _ chidori _ sending charges of sparks at the  _ jutsu _ caster. He turned back towards his wife and sent her into the desert dimension they knew so well with his vexed purple eye. Before he could confirm that she had been teleported safely away, Sasuke drew his  _ katana _ out to block the blade that threatened to slice him open. The figure behind the blade was a middle-aged grey-haired man in a black three-quarter jacket, his long pony tail flailing wildly behind him as he sneered at Sasuke. "Not bad, Uchiha." The man's vocie was as hoarse as sandpaper as his silver eyes crinkled in amusement.

Sasuke could have sworn he had felt the presence of two more unfamiliar chakra signatures just moments before. The man somersaulted backwards, before unleashing a  _ jutsu _ of water dragons flying towards the Uchiha. Sasuke evaded the attacks with ease before unsealing two large  _ shurikens _ as large as windmills, and hurled them towards his opponent. The tips of the  _ shurikens _ dug into the foe's shoulder blades who fell beside the trunk of a tree, pinning his arms up the rough edges of splintered wood. Sasuke sparked his  _ raikiri _ and transformed it's form so that it resembled it's name sake: a lightning blade. The end of the sparkling blade cut through the tree, just millimetres away from the man's chest. As he stepped closer to the crucified man, blood seeping out of him like a stream of water, Sasuke spoke with a tone as dark as death itself. "Give up your pursuit of the  _ sharingan _ , and I may let you live."

Sasuke moved his fist slightly, so that the  _ raikiri _ grazed the man's skin. The man had sweat trickling down his face, his grey hair sticking to him as he coughed out blood. "Or not. Shinobi of your calibre can never hope to match me." 

The man cackled, his laugh as menacing as the gleam in his eye. "Who said we were after  _ you _ ?" And in a puff, the man was gone, leaving Sasuke with doubts and a growing fear eating away at him. 

* * *

The rest of the night consisted of Sasuke teleporting to Kaguya's desert, screaming his wife's name. By the time he got there, his chakra had depleted, meaning Sasuke would have to wait out the night of a different sky, his mind clouded with anxiety and anger, simultaneously. His dreams were filled with a touch that haunted him; the soft chime of a voice calling out his name begging him not to leave; his lightning blade tearing through the chest of a man - a blink - and his lightning blade had torn open the heart of his impregnated wife. He woke to the sun of another world with a scream. He felt damp beneath his black clothes as the scorching sun bore down on him, willing for him to leave. The power in his eyes had replenished and he set foot into the portal, whisking him back into a jungle of trees. He followed traces of broken twigs and branches that suggested either a fight had broken out, or someone had been dragged by force... or both. But alas, the trail ended as the trees thinned around him. Sasuke fell to his knees and pounded the ground with his fists, cursing his ill luck. His cursed fate. Tears dropped from his face and the the heavens wept with him until he no longer knew where his sorrows had marked the ground beneath him. 

He found his feet taking him to the one place he knew he could get answers. He was barely within metres of the hideout entrance when his former subordinate came rushing out to greet him, red hair sticking to her face as the rain drenched her. "It's really you," her tone was bitter, masking her surprise.

"Karin." He had regained his stoic expression. 

"Where's your girlfriend? I can't sense her chakra. I swear Sasuke, if you rejected her I would NEVER forgive you! You know she's pregnant, and I've already helped her to find you TWICE-"

"Come with me." 

Her jaw dropped and the frame of her red glasses reflected on her skin beneath. "WHAAT?! I'm not your rebound! If you think I would just abandon everything just to come with you, you're hugely mistaken! Sasu-ke!" She was seething at this point, pointing a long fingernail at Sasuke. 

"My wife has been kidnapped. I need your help Karin," he said, continuing to conceal his urgency with a coolness in his tone.

Karin flattened her shirt, pulling herself together. "O-oh. I knew that. Of course... Wait, wife?! So you're still not a heartless bastard after all, hmph."

Sasuke turned so his back was facing towards the sensory Uzumaki. "Show me the way." 

They travelled for the rest of the night until they found his wife collapsed, her breathing faint, in a hollow cave; a bed of rubble sat at the entrance. The Uchiha and Uzumaki clambered over the rubble and Karin worked her chakra, breathing life into the pinkette. Sasuke noticed that his wife's knuckles were bruised and bloodied. He held his breath as she ever so slowly peeled her eyes open. "S-Sasuke?" She asked, her voice sounding distant. She tried to raise her head but winced in pain. 

"I'm here, Sakura." Sasuke held both her hands in his. "Don't move, just bite onto Karin."

Sakura's eyes remained closed but her breathing had become regular. However, the other female was not in any hurry to offer her arm to his pregnant wife. He shot a look full of animosity towards the redhead, and she reluctantly rolled up her sleeves and let Sakura bite her. With her free hand, she pushed up her glasses. "I'm only doing this because there's an innocent life involved," Karin spat bitterly. "And because she saved me... from you. I still haven't forgiven you for that, you know."

"I'm sorry about that. And thank you," he said, void of expression. Sasuke wasn't looking at Karin when she flushed a deep red, as red as her hair. He only had eyes for his wife as she regained her chakra back. Sakura sat up and looked at Karin. "Oh thank you, Karin. I'm indebted to you." 

Karin feigned annoyance by harshly turning her head away, but it was clear to Sasuke that the two  _ kunoichis _ had formed a bond beyond friendship outside of his presence. 

Sakura's gaze fell on her husband's face. To anyone else, he might have seemed indifferent to her current circumstance, but she could see underneath his mask of composure, and she could see into his eyes full of concern. She undressed him with a look and read his deep scars like an open book. "Sasuke..." They stared at each other, trading thoughts and feelings through a look.

They were interrupted by Karin, her voice filled with urgency. "Sasuke, we don't have time for a reunion. We've got company. Two chakra signatures are coming this way, and fast."

Sakura clambered onto her feet with a smirk sitting on her lips. "So they came for another round, huh?" 

Karin shot Sasuke a look, urging him to stop her. Sakura took a step forward, her heel digging into the ground as she fought to balance herself. Sasuke caught her wrist and gave his wife a warning look.  _ NO, Sakura.  _

Both Sasuke and Karin rose up. Karin ran towards the entrance of the cave, her arms outstretched behind her as she shouted back at him. "Sasuke, take Sakura and leave! I'll take care of things here!" They last thing they saw was golden chains striking out of Karin's body as she encountered two shinobi before he used his  _ rinnengan _ to teleport back to Karin's hideout, meaning that they were off course from their path to Konoha. 

Sakura tore her wrist away from his firm grip. "Why did you do that for?! She saved me and we left her! We have to go back Sasuke!" 

His voice was low and steady as he replied, "No one is going anywhere, Sakura. Not in your state." 

She had heard the accusation in his voice at that last part. "I had to DO something!"

He couldn't hold it in anymore. His rage and sorrows that he had sealed away now came bubbling up to the surface. He exploded. "YOU KNOW YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO USE YOUR CHAKRA EXCESSIVELY. How could you be so RECKLESS, SAKURA?" The fear of the result of depletion of her chakra gnawed away at him - it could only mean certain death.

"WHAT WAS I SUPPOSED TO DO? Wait around until you showed up? They were going to perform a C-Section on me and just take the child! Is that what you wanted?!" 

Sasuke could only glare at her, but his rage was not meant for her. His mind was circling and he gritted his teeth in frustration, shutting his eyes tightly in the process. "You should have-"

"WHAT, SASUKE? What?" Her raised voice cast his eyes open again. "I'm not a helpless woman, Sasuke. I can fight my own battles."

He let his tears fall to the floor, not caring to shield them from the woman who held his heart. His tone softened as he stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers. "I know, Sakura. But like you once said, it's not just about you anymore." His hand fell to her bump as he caressed it. 

Her brows furrowed as she looked up at Sasuke. She whispered up at him. "I would do anything for this child... even if it meant putting my life on the line. I would do ANYTHING." 

He wept silently, tears that spoke of apologies for being the accursed man she fell in love with. 

***

Two weeks had passed and yet, Karin had not returned. Sakura had been besides herself with worry. Sakura was adamant that she would not leave the hideout until Sasuke found her, but he would refuse to leave her side. Sasuke would urge Sakura to leave this godforsaken place so they could continue onward to Konoha, but she would have none of it. An argument had erupted and they had not spoken or touched each other for a week. He found that her ghostly touch haunted him more than the phantom limb pain he had experienced when he first lost half of his left arm. Now he had lost more than that. He had lost a part of himself, although she would still sleep beside him. All that lay between them was a barrier of twisted bed sheets and twisted ideals.

Sakura had eaten most of the provisions that were stored at the hideout, and so for the first time in months, Sasuke left her side to gather herbs, tomatoes, and anything else he could find in nearby towns. Sunset had already fallen when he arrived back at the cavern. He prepared two dishes of dumplings and set it on the ground in front of the cushion she had marked as hers. When the smell of fresh food did not bring her as it usually would, he assumed she was sleeping and so went to where they had made their bed. The blanket sat neatly folded and atop the pillow on her side slept a note.  _ 'If you find this it means I was finally able to escape from your side and start my search for Karin. Don't look for me unless you mean to save her too. Sakura.' _

He crumpled the note within his grasp, her words fuelling his anger. He packed the dumplings and set off in search for her. He used his  _ rinnengan _ to teleport back to the cave he had found her in previously. There were burn marks on the walls of the cave that weren't there before; Sasuke reflected it might have been the result of the fight two weeks prior between Karin and the other two shinobi. As he went deeper inside the cave he found traces of blood spattered onto the stony brown floor. He followed the trail until he found a path of pink wisps of hair on the floor. He had only noticed them due to the chidori which he had lit to guide him, the same chidori which had taken so many lives once wielded by his left arm. But now with his right, Sasuke vowed to only do whatever was right. He would take the right path. 

The cave ran like a snake, walls travelling endlessly. Its walls closing in at various sides obstructing any light from entering. There were dead ends almost every side he turned, but his  _ chidori _ and the pink trails illuminated his vision, guiding him through. His feet came to a halt when he heard anguished cries of "Shannaro!", and the sound of a ferocious fist coming into contact with a wall made of stone. 

An unfamiliar female voice piped up, emerging from the rubble clouded in dust. "Look, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. You either exhaust yourself by using up your chakra or you let me drug you like I did with your friend. Either way, that child WILL be mine." 

Sasuke was still assessing the situation from the shadows, when Sakura fell down to her knees so she was on all fours and started retching out vomit tinged with blood. Every bone in Sasuke's body shook with the sudden impulse to run towards his wife and take her away somewhere safe. But Sasuke overpowered his emotions with the rationality of a seasoned shinobi, and steadied the thudding of heartbeat. He would wait for an opening. 

The unidentified female was a blonde woman cloaked in a black three-quarter jacket and she held a syringe filled with yellow liquid inside. She was taking her time to walk towards the heap of mess that lay before her. "Now, now. Let's not get ourselves all worked up. We do want the child to live, don't we? Those ocular powers would really come in handy one day. Just relax and I'll take the child off you. I'll be it's mother. Spin it lies about their father who neglected and abandoned them. And you don't have to worry about a single thing, after all, you can't be worrying when you're dead." 

Sakura rose up, feet shaking as she struggled to find balance, and threw the blonde a murderous look. She panted from exhaustion, spitting words through gasps. "Raising... a child... is more than just... using them for... their abilities... A child... needs love... and guidance..." Sakura had found her feet, and charged at the deranged woman with a fist charged with visible blue chakra. For a split second Sakura cast her glance sideways, finding Sasuke lurking in the shadows, biding his time. It was only a split second, but he had caught her look and understood her intentions. The blonde woman formed hand signs suggesting the use of a fire style  _ jutsu  _ aiming it at Sakura, but before she could even breathe fire out, Sasuke had used his  _ rinnengan _ to swap places with his quick-witted wife, kicking the syringe out of her grasp and scorching her with his own phoenix flower  _ jutsu _ . He used his  _ amaterasu  _ to burn the syringe and its contents to ashes. 

Using his susano, he picked up his wife and ran with his arm outstretched behind him. "Where is she?" He asked pointedly. 

"Karin's... being held... unconscious... behind doors... She killed two..." Sasuke stopped when Sakura started coughing out blood. "I'm fine... Thank you, darling... For coming... For Karin... You go... Heal myself..." 

He bent over her and said, "I won't leave you. I can take you with me." 

They found Karin unconscious in a glass cubicle, wires attached to a machine that was using her chakra levels to locate people. The machine started beeping erratically as soon as Sakura entered the room, held within the grasp of her husband's purple left arm. 

"Sasuke, let me." She broke away from the iron grip of the  _ susano _ using her monstrous strength and waddled towards the machines. It was clear that she had healed herself as her speech had become more uniform. "I've seen similar machines in Konoha and Ino's told me about them. I just need to deactivate it by..." She pressed a few buttons, and the beeping stopped, and the artificial light of the machine faded away. "There we go." 

Sasuke's  _ susano _ once again became a mode of transport, and he lifted both his wife and former subordinate into the sky and flew back to Karin's hideout. Sakura stubbornly refused Sasuke's orders to not use her chakra once again, and she used her  _ mitonic regeneration  _ until Karin faded back into consciousness. Karin fluttered her eyes open. "Sakura...? Ugh, Sasuke. You really need to keep your wife in control..." Karin sat up and adjusted her glasses, before realising a lens was missing. She took her glasses off and set it beside her on the bed. "Staying here was the best thing you could have done. My chakra is sealed into the walls of this hideout so sensory ninja can't track this place - even if it's my own chakra that's being used." She turned to Sasuke. The bite in her tone had resurfaced. "Sasu-ke! You're a real asshole, you know that?" 

Sasuke left Karin to continue to curse him for being reckless, and scold Sakura for being even more reckless to go after her whilst 9 months pregnant. He placed the dumplings in front of Sakura who thanked him with her beady eyes, before he left to write a letter: 

_ 'Kakashi.  _

_ We have encountered a small group of rogue shinobi who were after the sharingan, They have been taken care of, but one kunoichi still remains unconscious. Sakura and I are currently preoccupied.  _

_ Sasuke.' _

He would leave the rest to the Leaf to deal with. With Karin's help, he had finally managed to convince Sakura to once again set of to Konoha. With only two weeks looming over them before their due date, they set of at a brisk pace. 

***

They greeted the sun at dawn, and watched as the sun would lower itself, whispering its goodnights as dusk met them for the next fortnight. They were still leagues away from their hometown as Sakura could not keep up with Sasuke. He also refused to use his  _ susano _ at the risk of the tumultuous journey having an adverse effect on the baby. It was March 28th but Sasuke was relieved by the notion of the unborn baby showing no sign in joining in the celebration of its mother's 21st birthday. Sakura was resting on a bed of flowers as Sasuke came to join her, the fragrance of the petals engulfing them in sweet bliss. The green mattress beneath them kissing the soles of their feet. His sole hand grazed her right swollen ankle before working his fingers to start massaging them. They were alone, and so tonight he would speak his thoughts. 

"Sakura, tell me what you want. And I'll bring it."

"I have everything I want right here..." He had expected that response. "But, there is one thing, darling."

He lifted his head to meet hers. Waiting. 

"...We need to go back... We won't make it to Konoha. It'll take another week at most, even if we use your  _ susano _ . Take me back Sasuke," she pleaded, her eyes looking at him desperately. 

His lips tightened in disapproval, forming a thin straight line. "It took us two weeks just to get here, and you want us to go back?" His voice was deathly quiet.

"I want Karin to deliver our baby."

"We could go to a nearby town, take you to a hospital..." he suggested. 

She sighed. "Sasuke, I know you don't want that as much as me. With all that's happened, we can't trust anyone other than Konoha or Karin. And at this point, we're better off turning back." He sighed and complied with her wishes. 

Three days passed until the irregular contractions started at sunrise. He couldn't stand to see her in pain, although she had reassured him it was all part of the natural process. She stood, leaning against him and spoke through gritted teeth. "I-I can walk... Sasu..ke." She stopped to take a breath. "We might need to... use your  _ susano _ ... but right now... it's important I walk..." 

By foot, it would take another week to get back to the hideout, Sasuke calculated. He looked down with concern drawn all over his face at his pregnant wife, her round belly threatening to pop. He activated only the left arm of his  _ susano _ and carried her. "We don't have time." He would not waste time sparring at a duel of words with his wife, and he rushed through the trees, swinging her beside him as delicately as he could. 

Six hours of cries in agony passed. The contractions had become regular, visiting Sakura every 10 minutes before slipping away again, leaving her with a soreness Sasuke wished he could relieve her from. They were still a few miles away from the hideout when the redhead rushed out to meet them. 

"Sasuke!" Karin called out. "What are you doing here? Why didn't you fly to Konoha?" 

Sakura was gasping and screeched out in pain. "We... couldn't... I said... here...", Sakura wheezed. 

Karin stared at Sasuke in shock, her eyes as large as orbs behind her new glasses. She turned back to Sakura and asked for permission to check up on the baby. Sasuke released his ghostly purple grip on Sakura, and she sat on a rock as Karin lifted her dress, analysing the situation. 

After a few moments, Karin covered Sakura's modesty and looked at Sasuke. "It's no good. The child will be here in a few hours and I don't have anything prepared to carry out a delivery back at the hideout. Sasuke! You HAVE to use your  _ susano _ , unless you want your child to be born in the middle of nowhere, vulnerable to attacks and infections."

He walked over to Karin and bit into her wrist as if he was in possession of her. Without another word, he activated his  _ susano _ and waited for Karin to grab Sakura before they departed. It took another hour to get to the hideout, even whilst speeding through the air. The next couple of hours were a blur of torment as Sakura's screams echoed throughout the cavern, and her red dress had given birth to a deeper shade of red as her blood seeped throughout it. Their fast paced journey had induced labour, but the worst was the blood. Everything tinged red in Sasuke's vision. He knelt beside her as she crushed his lone hand in her left hand. Her grip was like an iron claw suffocating him. Karin's soothing words were drowned out by Sakura's screams. He felt a tug on his left sleeve and looked at Karin through a vision of tears. 

Karin was knelt between his wife's spread legs, and her voice was low as she leaned towards him. "Sasuke, you need to calm her down or we'll lose her." 

He turned towards Sakura, and kissed her seal before casting her into a  _ genjutsu _ with his  _ mangekyo sharingan _ . Sakura's cries dwindled to a stop and she closed her eyes, and she inhaled and exhaled deeply in rhythm with his own in her  _ genjutsu  _ dream. She pushed when he squeezed her hand as Karin stopped the bleeding. The walls that were tinged in red blood faded away, and Sasuke could see clearly once again. He released the  _ genjutsu  _ and his pink beauty peeked her eyes open to meet his onyx eye with her veridian ones.

She spoke with a soft tenderness, not breaking eye contact. "Sasuke. I love you." 

He turned his face away so that Karin could not see him as he pressed his wife's hand to his lips. 

It was at sunset that a raven haired angel was brought to his wife, her eyes a deep black as she locked her curious gaze with shiny emerald. 

"Congratulations", Karin said with a smile as she wiped away the sweat that was beading down her forehead. "You have a daughter." 

Sakura whispered her thank yous without lifting her gaze from her child, studying the small circular face that had started to demonstrate how healthy her lungs were with bursts of cries. Sasuke felt a hand on his left shoulder and he peeled his eyes away from the bundle of daylight and looked at the smiling woman who had assisted in bringing his daughter into the world. 

"If she ever needs anything, I'll always be here to help my darling niece." She turned away and left the family with privacy and a silence that was ready to burst into an explosion of euphoria. 

His wife was still looking at their child, rocking her back and forth to still her cries, when she said, "She looks just like you..."

"No," Sasuke replied. "She looks like Itachi, when he was a child." His words bared the weight of his wish that his child would not make the same mistakes as he did, but rather inherit the gentleness of her late uncle.

Sakura looked at him. Her eyes shining with a happiness he had never seen before; her eyes were like stars lighting up a dark sky. "Have you chosen a name yet?" 

He took his baby from her mother, Sakura helping to balance the baby in his lone arm. He held his child close and breathed in her scent. "Yes. We'll name her Sarada." 

Sakura crinkled her eyes in bliss. "It's perfect," she accepted joyfully.

Sasuke leaned into his wife, their daughter balancing between in her father's arm, and Sasuke stole the kiss he had been deprived of. It was a slow and passionate kiss, and they only broke apart when Sarada squirmed beneath them. Sakura took back Sarada towards herself and brought her to her breast. Everything had fallen into place. 

"Sakura. We're perfect. Thank you."  _ I love you. _

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment! Did you like my portrayal of Sarada's birth?


	11. Flicker

Three days had passed, and Sasuke's small little family had finally departed, onward towards a stable environment. Their farewells with their friend-become-midwife had consisted of Sakura thanking Karin for all she had done, including healing her after her strenuous labour, with gifting the Uzumaki something tangible, to signify her bond to the Uchiha family: Sakura and Sarada's umbilical cord. Sasuke thought the transfer of the cord was queer, but he didn't voice his opinions on his delirious wife's or the redhead's decision - after all, his wife was known to be unrelentingly stubborn, and Uzumaki's were known to be of a strange breed.

With his arm around his wife's waist, Sarada bounced within the makeshift sling which was slung over Sakura's shoulders so that Sarada rested just above where she had slept inside her mother before drawing her first breath, head faced towards Sakura's bosoms, tying mother and daughter together. They tread at a slow pace through the jungle of trees. The leaves were a deep green, and hanging from the edges were droplets from the night before, tiptoeing onto the the gravel beneath it. Above them rested a blinding orb, floating up in the heavens shining down on them with blessings. The warm air of spring embraced the Uchiha family as the soft breeze of the wind tickled their hair, whispering secrets of love to pink and black. His child and his wife were the coolness of his eyes, and the fire that lit up his heart, thawing the icicles that had formed from past trauma. He kept a close eye as the flesh of his newborn fascinated him - she was no longer a ball of chakra within her mother, but a being of her own. She was a flicker of light that would only grow brighter as the days shifted into weeks, into months, into years... She had opened a new chapter in his life, and had given him another million reasons to stay true to the path of daylight. She was his daughter; she had made him a father. She was an Uchiha.

They would rest periodically, listening to Sarada's cries and studying her body language to signify when to take naps, eat, and to continue on with their journey. It was still only five hours after midday when Sarada has drifted off to sleep within the sling. Sakura yawned and her feet came to a stop. Sasuke took that as a sign to roll out a sleeping bag and took Sarada from his knackered wife. Sakura curled up into a fetus position and was swept away into a land of dreams... Sasuke stayed awake, watching over the two rays of light in his life. Chasing away temptations of sleep was a small sacrifice he could make to keep them safe. He cradled his child in his arm, closing her in towards his chest and hummed a lullaby he had often heard from his own mother when he himself was an innocent boy. He studied his child, and adored the way her soft hair felt beneath his fingertips, the way her lips curled up baring her gums whilst she slept. Sasuke was curious as to what his daughter could be dreaming about, and silently promised her with a kiss on her forehead that he would do anything to keep those blissful dreams a reality for the rest of her life. He would give his other arm for her in a heartbeat. He would do anything.

Another hour had passed before a small moan escaped from Sarada's lips. The moans soon transitioned into soft cries causing Sasuke to test different methods to still her cries, as Sakura was still entranced in a deep sleep. He stood up and lightly bounced Sarada in his arm, then paced around light on his feet, in the end he found that a kiss on the forehead worked like a charm. He lifted his lips from her smooth skin, slowly straightening his head when he was halted by a tiny fist clenching his hair that he had grown to cover his purple ripples. He stared into the tiny black orbs that was studying his own face, before she started cooing at him as she tugged his hair again. Sasuke had no way out of this, with only one hand, there was no way to gently pull his child from himself.

His eyes lifted upwards as he heard muffled laughter. Sakura was sitting up, her hair tied as it fell behind her, with a hand over her mouth.

"I never thought I'd see you lose a fight... and to a baby!", she said with hints of laughter in her tone.

"Sakura..."

Sakura stood up and placed a hand on her waist. "What?" She asked playfully. "It's a really amusing sight. And to be honest... I was thinking that your hair had grown quite a bit too long. But it looks like our little Sarada told you before I did." She giggled. Her laughter filled him with an unspeakable serenity; her voice was angelic; her expression was like the beaming sun; her body which had changed over the course of the last 9 months shaped her womanly curves and filled him with a sudden lust for - he was yanked out of his thoughts with another tug from their child.

The mother of his child walked towards her family and pried Sarada's fingers open, releasing her husband from his oppressor. She took Sarada in her arms and sat back down on the quilts.

"Sasuke", she called out to him, whilst unbuttoning the top of her dress with her left hand. "I'm going to give her a feed, it won't take long, but you should still get some sleep. Or at least eat some of the lunch Karin packed for us."

"Ah, I'll be fine without sleep," he replied. But he proceeded to sit down beside her and open up the container filled with noodles, and worked the chopsticks in his favour.

Sakura looked down at Sarada who had started to suck. "Your father is so stubborn, isn't he, Sarada?" She muttered to her.

He left half of the noodles for Sakura, and brought out a parchment, a pen and an ink pot. Without any blotches, he wrote:

_'Kakashi._

_We are due to return to Konoha. Sell Sakura's apartment and use the Uchiha inheritance to buy a home. Anywhere away from Naruto._

_Sasuke'_

Another three weeks had passed, and the Uchiha family had waded through the forest of trees in blissful harmony. Sakura had eventually convinced him to sleep after a week of travelling when he had started speaking deliriously about concerns of losing daylight and once again being enveloped in darkness. He had found that she was right - she insisted she was _always_ right, something he wouldn't dare to argue over - and that his mind really did need sleep. Beside her, nightmares were a thing of the past, and even the darkness of the night could not haunt him. Rather, the stars would always be guiding him home. _Home_. The word lingered in his mind, reminding him of reassurances spoken during the simplicity of harmonious moments, both of them had meant it: home was wherever the other was. But was that enough for Sarada, he wondered? If he or Sakura had to depart for their long-term mission, would they risk Sarada's safety just so she could be with them - _home_? Doesn't she deserve the safety that the village walls brings? The right to call somewhere home, and develop an identity and feelings of attachment? Despite all the love he knew both him and Sakura could give her, would love from family be enough for _her_ , or would she long for love outside family - from friends and...

"Darling," Sakura purred, as she rested a hand on his left arm. "We're here. We're home."

He stared into those veridian eyes, searching for her pure soul as it spoke back to him through waves of love and affection. The shadow of the great pale green gates which loomed over them greeted the Uchiha family inside. He pulled off his black cloak, and encased Sakura with it as it fell loosely to the floor sweeping the grass so that Sarada could sleep soundly, hidden from view from curious civilians.

"Eh, Sasuke. You could have just unpacked my cloak," she said, an eyebrow arched.

"That's not big enough. Besides, we don't need anyone to make a big fuss over our return."

Strangely enough, the entrance to Konoha was as quiet as the desert, with barely any heads sparing glances their way. They half expected Naruto to run over screaming towards them, or for Kakashi to be waiting, hands in his pockets, as he leaned against a light post. But no one greeted them, and although Sasuke was relieved that they could be kept to themselves, a part of him missed the other half of him. His friend. His brother, by not blood, but by bonds deeply engraved into his pulsing heart. The more they passed through the village, the more heads they saw, and the more chatter they heard breathing into life in excitement.

They were almost at the Hokage's building, when three familiar heads walked down from the steps and stopped in front of them. They looked about the age Sasuke was when he first deserted the village, he reflected. The dusty blonde female gaped at them, whilst the red haired male looked lazily at them, masking his surprise under a stoic expression. It was the brown haired loud-mouthed boy who jumped from the steps and onto the ground before them that broke the trance of internalising features and matching them to names. The brown haired boy pointed a finger up at Sasuke.

"S-Sasuke Sensei! And Sakura Sensei! It's really you!"

"Ah, Takeshi."

Sasuke was still listening to his three former temporary student's formalities when he saw Sakura bringing up her right arm for a wave. He caught her wrist, and and held it down, communicating with a look. He would not have her exposing what slept underneath her garments. She sighed before smiling at the two _genins_ and newly appointed _chunin_.

"I'm really happy to hear you've become a chunin, Etsuko. Keep on training, and soon enough we'll have you working at Konoha hospital in no time."

"It's all thanks to you, Haruno Sensei. You're a great role model," Etsuko replied, her eyes gleaming widely with admiration.

Sakura let out a short bubble of laughter. "I'm glad you think so. Good luck on your mission!"

"Hai!"

They continued ascending the stairs together alone. "I don't think anyone knows..." Sakura hissed.

"Knows about what?"

"She called me Haruno Sensei. I wonder if anyone knows that I'm no longer-"

Sasuke understood her meaning, and the corner of his lip tugged upwards. "They'll know soon enough. Mrs Uchiha." Her rosy cheeks warmed if, as he if was being held in a tight embrace.

Sasuke opened the door to the Hokage's office, and stepped inside, holding the door long enough for Sakura to follow behind him. Two pairs of unenthusiastic eyes fell on them, and suddenly morphed into surprise. The silver-haired Hokage sat behind his desk, his fingers criss-crossed over each other as they sat on a pile of documents in front of him. On Sasuke's right stood a man with a three-quarter cream jacket, black hair tied up as if a plant was growing out of his head, whilst sporting a new goatee.

"Hokage-sama", Sakura greeted. "And Shikamaru."

"Sakura", Shikamaru responded after recovering from his shock. "And Sasuke. It's a surprise to see you two. The Sixth said you guys would be returning, but so much time had passed I had started to believe it was some kind of cruel jape. Naruto looks like he hasn't slept in a month-"

"So the two love birds are back," Kakashi interrupted, eyeing both Sasuke and Sakura in a suggestive manner.

"Is it true then?" Shikamaru asked. "The Fifth has been placing bets that Sasuke rejected you."

"Eh?!"

Shikamaru rubbed the back of his head with his right arm, his face contorting into an apology of sorts. "She said that if she placed bets like that, it was likely the opposite would come true, as she always loses..."

Sasuke cleared his throat and glowered at Shikamaru, and then Kakashi.

Kakashi broke his fingers from their clasped embrace and landed them on the desk. "Right," Kakashi started. "I've heard a good deal of your work around the other villages from the other Kages. So well done you two, especially you, Sakura. I'm proud to call you my former student." The lower part of his mask creased suggesting a smile was at play. "As for the white Zetsu case, I guess that is still open. Sasuke, take as much time as you need resting. You deserve it. If we hear of any updates you'll be the first to know.

"Also I sent some shinobi to recover the woman you had encountered. Ibiki interrogated her and it turns out her small group of friends have been tailing you for some time, Sasuke. There were details mentioned in the report about you being poisoned by a pink-haired woman-" Kakashi's eyes flickered from Sasuke to Sakura and then back. "-but I'm sure you don't need me to reiterate the rest... The important part is that the other woman you left knocked out is being held in Konoha prison for the time being, and she has access to the mental health ward for adults to help her to go forward past her comrade's deaths, so she doesn't fall into the hole of, dare I say it, revenge." Sasuke clenched his fist and then unreleased it.

"But putting all that to aside," Kakashi continued. "I see you took the Icha Icha advice I gifted you, Sasuke." He nodded towards the black cloak that enveloped Sakura. Sakura gave Sasuke a quizzical look, and Sasuke redirected the look at Kakashi. In the background, he heard a snigger pass from Shikamaru.

"If you follow Shikamaru, he'll be sure to show you to your new home, after he collects the keys from Naruto. It's on the other side of the village from Naruto's house, so you have nothing to worry about." Kakashi winked at Sasuke. Just as Shikamaru left the room to look for the two pairs of keys to their home, a stifled cry came from Sakura's breasts.

Kakashi's eyes widened, as a look passed from Sakura to Sasuke. "...I see you guys just haven't been busy at keeping the world afloat. Can I see him, or her?"

Sasuke helped Sakura unclasp the cloak which draped her feet and placed it over his own shoulders. Sakura unwrapped the sling and brought Sarada towards her former Sensei.

"Her name's Sarada," she spoke, her voice soft as a feather.

Sasuke noticed that Kakashi's eyes glistened as he took Sarada from her mother, placing his arms carefully around the shawl she was encased in. "Sarada, hm? She's like the oil that keeps you two ignited." Kakashi chuckled before handing Sarada to Sasuke. "I'm really happy for you two. Well done, Sakura. Sasuke. You've made me an uncle to another." His eyes crinkled.

"Another?" Sakura echoed.

"Huh? Did Naruto not write to you?"

Realisation dawned on Sakura's face. "Oh yes! Hinata was pregnant. But Naruto never updated us. So, how is she? How's their baby? Boy or girl? Is their child okay? How's Naruto? Did he support Hinata?"

A sweat drop beaded down Kakashi's face, as he placed his two palms outwards in front of him, pleading to be relieved from her interrogation, before he crossed his arms against his chest. "Hehe, yes both mother and son are fine. There were a few complications, but she eventually gave birth three weeks after her due date-"

"THREE WEEKS?!"

The door opened and Shikamaru entered, juggling keys in one hand facing the backs of the Uchiha couple. "Come on, and I'll take you to your new home."

Sasuke and Sakura turned around. Shikamaru's eyes landed on the bundle balancing in Sasuke's arm, with tufts of black hair peeking out. "I-Is that? Wow, this village is getting bigger by the day."

Sarada squirmed within Sasuke's arm. "Hn. Take us home."

"Before you go," Kakashi announced. "I'm sure I don't need to tell you, Sakura. But you need to fill in this form to officiate Sarada's citizenship as she wasn't born here. Just your names and her date of birth is needed."

Their journey to their house was filled with encounters from passer-by's fawning over their child, most of them were random villagers that welcomed back Sakura home, and nodded at Sasuke. The only person that called out to Sasuke was Sakura's loud-mouthed friend. The other one.

"Sasuke!" Ino called, wearing her _jounin_ jacket as she bounded over to them. She grinned widely at them both. "So, billboard brow finally did it. She brought you to her knees and forced another Uchiha out of you."

Sakura lightly punched Ino on the arm. "I'm right here! And I didn't _force_ anything, Ino-pig."

Ino flicked her hair so it sashayed about her hips, "I wonder about that... But hey," Ino said, softening her voice in amusement as she let Sarada coil her fingers around her own index finger. "At least your daughter didn't inherit your ugly looks. So I say that's a big win."

Sasuke watched the two women bicker and it reminded him off a past so long ago, it was only a distant memory now. He found himself appreciating once again how the pink-haired girl infatuated over him had matured in more ways than one. She was no longer helpless, but a formidable _kunoichi_ in her own right - an asset to her village. She was no longer ignorant of the pain of solitude, as he knew all too well that he had taught her that lesson whilst wrenching out her heart. Even her love for him had matured, and he too had matured with it. Their love for each other over the past year alone had evolved into something so terrifyingly beautiful, he was left at the mercy of her touch and her words. But even more so, it had evolved into the tiny bundle that he held in his arm. Their child. Sarada. She was proof that her parents' feelings were connected beyond that of comrades or friendship... they were now tied by the blood that ran through the veins of Sarada, the love that had created her. And nothing could ever change that fact.

Shikamaru turned towards his former teammate. "Ino, it's best you leave them to it. I'm sure they're waiting to unpack and crash out. Tell the others and we can have a proper reunion tomorrow, yeah? I'll update Naruto."

Ino stuck out her tongue. "Yeah, yeah. Fine. Be sure to show them our house warming presents! They've been sitting in that house for almost a month, man."

Sakura blinked. "Oh, that's... very nice of you all. Thank you."

"See ya tomorrow, forehead." Ino waved and left them to continue on towards a new chapter.

Their house sat on a hill, detached from others. Brown bricks welcomed them, with Uchiha crests carved and paved on either side below the top windows. The roof of the house poked outwards, and was supported by two pillars, with vines spiralling around it. Sakura's fingers found Sasuke's left sleeve. "Sasuke..." He looked down at her and watched as tears brimmed on her lower lash line.

Shikamaru placed the keys in Sakura's hands, before resting his hands into his jacket pockets again. "Well, here it is. Sasuke, you didn't leave any information of what kind of house you wanted, so we just figured a grand house overlooking the rest of the village would be suitable. You also didn't give us a budget, so there's not much of your inheritance left and we used it so you don't have a mortgage to pay off. All the paperwork is inside the first draw of the bedside table. I'll leave you three to it."

"Hn. Thanks."

"Shikamaru, thank you. Thank Kakashi for us."

Shikamaru rubbed the back of his head. "Well, your husband paid for it. And it was Naruto himself who chose this house and suggested that the inheritance money is used to pay off the mortgage."

Sasuke scoffed. It was just like that blonde dork to spend as much of Sasuke's money as he could, he thought.

"Ah, and before I forget, Sakura," Shikamaru said. "All your belongings from your apartment are here. My wife, Ino and Sai helped to arrange everything. So I'll see you two at Ichiraku tomorrow, eh?"

Sakura placed a finger onto her chin and cast her gaze up thoughtfully. "Hmm, isn't Ichikrau too small if the whole gang will be there?"

Shikamaru chuckled. "You'll be surprised by how much things have changed." And he left, leaving the family to discover the secrets that lay waiting for them to uncover.

Sakura placed the key in the lock and turned the door. Slowly opening it, the creak of the door inviting them in. Their feet landed on a pink 'Welcome Home' mat that was decorated with the Uchiha insignia in each of the four corners. They slipped off their shoes before exploring the rest of the house. The corridor lead towards a room on the left, which opened into a dining room and an open kitchen. The wooden table lay there, a pair of chairs seated on each side. Sasuke watched as Sakura giddily wandered around as if a child struck in awe, picking up the Team 7 photograph that rested on her old book shelf. She let out bursts of gasps as she distinguished between what was hers and what were gifts. A new burgundy couch, a deeper red than her blushes when he made her squeal, was placed behind the dining table. She plopped herself down on it and patted the side next to her. Sasuke took his seat beside her, balancing Sarada in his arm as she herself uncovered the new sights. Sakura rested her head on Sasuke's shoulder, her long pink hair brushing his shoulder down to his thighs. She sighed pleasantly.

"I really love you, Sasuke-kun," she told him pleasantly. "I'm just so happy."

"Ah, I know." He shifted the remains of his left arm so it rested behind her back.

She looked up at him, meeting his gaze. "And what about you? You haven't said much. Are you happy?"

His heart tugged. How was it that he was always at the forefront of her mind? What did he do to deserve such a woman? He truly was blessed and undeserving of her love. She studied him, searching for answers.

"Sasuke?" She asked, softly.

He leaned down and planted a kiss where her hair parted. "I don't know..." He heard her catch her breath. "...How to tell you how happy I am." And she exhaled.

The flicker in his arm, in his heart, burst into a crackle of flames engulfing him. 'Happy' was an understatement. He was content. He was at peace.

"Happy late birthday, Sakura."

"Huh?"

He pulled his face away from the crown of her head and allowed her to see his shy smile he only reserved for her.

"Our home. I hope you like your gift."

She pulled him into such a tight embrace, it not only startled him but startled Sarada, quaking her into a fit of cries.

"Oh, I'm sorry, sweetie." She gingerly let go of Sasuke and took Sarada from her father, bouncing her in her arms. " Sasuke, let's put her to sleep." He lifted himself up and followed behind her. The corridor led up to stairs that dwindled upwards, snaking their way up until it led to another passage way. Two doors were placed on the right and one was at the end, the closed door staring at them. Sasuke took it upon himself to go ahead and locate the bedroom. The first door on the right opened up to a bathroom smelling of mint. The floor was tiled with marble, grey swirls floating on the floor mirroring the galaxies swimming around the universe. The sink was a glossy white, the bath and shower matching. The cupboard below the the sink was a light grey, whilst atop the sink rested a mirror, the outline were silver curls growing outwards: their reflections stared back at them.

Sasuke closed the door and tried the second room. This next room was bare, save for the boxes that sat scattered around the purple carpet, labelled 'plates', 'cutlery', and 'Sakura's clothes'. They tried the last door, and as they entered, flowing towards them was the scent of cherry blossom candles. A king size bed slept in the middle of the room, fake cherry blossom petals glittered over the white covers. Above the bed rested a frame wearing a painting of the proud Uchiha crest. Hanging from one large window to another on each side of the bed was a banner that read 'WELCOME HOME'. The Uchiha couple scanned the rest of the room as Sarada's cries continued, feeling the lilac carpet comfort the soles of their feet. Sakura found the candles sitting atop the bedside table near a vase of wilted cherry blossoms, and she blew it out. She placed Sarada on the bed and sat beside her, unbuttoning the top of her dress. Whilst Sakura fed Sarada trying to still her cries, Sasuke unpacked and placed his and Sakura's clothes into Sakura's old cupboard which was placed on the far right of the room.

It was at sunset that Sarada finally gave into her parents' wishes and escaped into sleep. Sarada was asleep in the middle of the bed, her head resting on a pillow as she sucked on her right thumb. Sasuke had finished the last of the unpacking, including unpacking the boxes that were found in the spare room and he sat down on the bed beside Sakura. He brushed her hair forward so he could have a clear vision of her Uchiha crest on her back. He circled the crest with his finger.

"We have such good friends, huh, darling?"

"Hn."

She leaned into his chest, and he held her there, his arm snaked around hers, as they spied out of the window on the left watching the sun lower itself away. Once the last of the light had flickered away, he gently moved himself away and stood up, towering over his wife. He offered her a hand and she took it. She could see the look of lust in his red eye twinkle back at her.

"Sakura," he whispered, his breath hot and heavy on her cool skin. "I think I can show you... how I feel. If you feel up to it." She bit her lower lip, and cast her gaze towards Sarada. She let her hand slip from his and she turned around, rearranging the pillows so the fruit of their love was encased in a barricade of pillows. She turned back towards her husband and whispered back, "Show me."

He led her to the other room and pinned her against the wall. He hadn't realised how much he missed her looking up at him with such a look of fervor in her eyes. He didn't know he missed the way her arms snaked around his head, grasping his hair as she pushed him deeper into the kiss. He wasn't aware that he had missed the way his name escaped her lips through soft moans and pants. She pulled his cloak off, and her hands soon found her way at pulling his black turtleneck over him. She traced his sculpted body and drew stars around his scars. She kissed every grain of his torso until he breathed out her name, begging for more. Soon enough, he stood there in front of her, baring all. He took advantage of her fuller breasts, but before she could moan out his name, this time he kissed her into silence. When they broke apart, he threatened her with a low whisper, "Don't wake Sarada up." She nodded at him timidly, a victim to his touch. Their lips found each other again, and his hand locked into hers. It felt as if he was travelling all over the world with her again, taking in the serene sights, discovering new smells, marking new places on their maps. Although she was still clothed, this was enough for him at this moment in time... Their rhythmic motions came to a halt at a rasping knock on the door which cued a startled cry to erupt from the neighbouring room. They froze... before heading into action. Sakura straightened her dress and went rushing towards Sarada. Sasuke fumbled with his lone hand as he struggled to dress himself in a haze; in the end he settled for only his lower body to be covered and his cloak to drape over the rest of him. Sasuke grabbed for his _katana_ out of instinct, and followed the stairs down towards the front door. As he pattered closer, he let down his guard and placed the _katana_ in the doorway of the dining room as he recognised the chakra signature. He opened the door and and glared at the visitor.

"Sasuke! So the rumours are true. I had to see it for myself!" Exclaimed the boisterous blonde. Naruto embraced Sasuke into a hug, Sasuke stood there stiff still glowering. He felt Naruto's hand meet his bare back with only the thin curtain of his cloak acting as a barrier. Naruto repulsed, and moved his hands away as if Sasuke was wearing a cloak of _chidori_ as armor, revealing hints of his bare skin beneath.

"Heh, why are you half naked?" Naruto asked. "Wait... don't tell me! Ahaaa!" Naruto's eyes narrowed, and his eyebrows bounced erratically, as a sleazy grin painted his lips. "I interrupted something didn't I? Hmmm, Sasuke?"

Sakura's head popped down over the staircase. "Huh? Naruto?"

"Ahh, Sakura-chan!"

Naruto pushed past Sasuke and invited himself into the corridor, stopping at the foot of the steps. "Sasuke was just telling me how I interrupted your love-making," he announced casually.

Sakura's face lit up a beetroot red. "W-what? No!"

"Fuck off, loser," Sasuke grumbled.

"So, I see me lighting the candle every evening worked in your favour, hm?" Naruto teased, his hands clasped behind his head.

Sasuke padded slowly towards Naruto and glared at him. "Get. Out. Before I kick you out."

Naruto just chuckled, before turning towards Sakura again. "So I heard from Shikamaru that there's a mini Sasuke. Can I see her?"

Sakura descended the steps, watching carefully as her feet found a step, and another. She was holding their child in her arms, one hand lost within raven hair. The new addition to the Uchiha family's curious onyx eyes found the future Hokage's deep blue irises and she stared at him, before waving her arms around, demanding to be held. Naruto took her from her mother and and bounced her into the air, earning a ripple of satisfied gurgles.

"She's adorable! Congratulations, Sakura-chan. The idiot finally understood." Sasuke's shoulders relaxed and he even allowed a smile to break through, and Sakura grinned at Naruto. "It's crazy that she was born just four days after Boruto, heh, Sasuke? I think they'll be great friends." Naruto winked at Sasuke before handing Sarada back to Sakura.

"Anyway, I won't outstay my welcome." Naruto chuckled whilst looking towards Sasuke. "I'll see you guys tomorrow at Ichiraku at lunch, yeah?"

Once Naruto had left, Sasuke himself too left not long after in search for ingredients to cook. He ended up fixing them a simple tomato soup. That night, they fell asleep on their new bed, arms crossing over each other, holding hands atop Sarada's resting body that lay between them. She was a flicker of candlelight in the darkness, binding them all together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment. What do you think of Sasuke and Sakura's interactions with our other beloved characters? Do you think I stayed true to their characters, or could I have presented them better?


	12. Sunlight

Tousled hair and blankets alike had been splayed across the bed. Sasuke woke to the morning sun tickling his left cheek with it's illuminated arms as it slipped in through the grand windows. He woke up to face a crinkled Uchiha crest emblazoned on a pink satin nightdress, peeking through wisps of rosy hair. As he sat up he noticed that the left strap of her nightdress had fallen away from her shoulder, until it touched the inside of her elbow, exposing her left breast. Sasuke felt blood rush towards his face, slightly tainting his cheeks, until he noticed that Sarada lay in between her mother's arms, sound asleep. The sight of his child snuggled close to her mother filled the rest of him with warmth - _this_ was daylight. But a small pang of regret also stabbed him as he realised that Sakura had awoken to their baby's cries in the stillness of the night, and had sacrificed her sleep for their child as he had continued to catch up on the sleep he had missed whilst they were out on the road. A small grey cloud hung over him, and he managed to resist from kissing her white neck that was spying at him beneath the curtain of pink locks, allowing her to continue her journey in the land of dreams. He pulled himself out of bed and headed downstairs towards the kitchen.

It was a strange thing to finally call a place home after so long. To be able to wake up to a family of his own, and know that they are safe as they lie under the same roof. To be able to reach into the cupboard and pull out coffee granules he had bought the night before and stir it for his wife. _Wife_. He had a wife. A home. A family. And a _daughter_. It was still so unbelievable, Sasuke had to activate his _sharingan_ to confirm that he was indeed not stuck in a warped illusion of the _infinite tsukoyumi_ that had once threatened the world from reaching true peace and salvation. It was thanks to him. Naruto. Sasuke wouldn't be standing here barefoot in a kitchen stirring a cup of coffee whilst waiting for the toast to pop up if it wasn't for the blonde fool. He was eternally grateful.

Sasuke was still scraping strawberry marmalade on the last toast when he felt her toned arms snake around his waist, and the weight of her head come into contact with the back of his black top. He heard her soft sigh as it breathed life into him. He placed the knife on the counter and pried her hands away, and turned around to face her adoring green eyes shining back at him. Even in the morning, with her bedhead, she was as radiant as the sun.

"Morning, Sasuke-kun," she said flirtatiously, smiling sweetly up at him.

He looked towards the doorway and asked, "Where's Sarada?"

He felt her arms embrace him again as she rested her head on his clothed chest. "Relax," she replied, her voice muffled. "She's fast asleep. And I've got my chakra focused on our bedroom so I'll know if there's any movements. Besides, I'm sure I'll hear her cries - she's so loud when she wants something." She laughed and pulled herself away from Sasuke so she could look up at him, her hands hidden behind her. "She's kind of like you - maybe not the loud part - but she knows how to get what she wants."

His eyes narrowed, forming a faint crease to appear above his brows. "Go to bed."

"Huh? But I wanted to eat-"

"I'll bring it to you".

She looked away, before meeting his gaze again meekly and deciding to speak her thoughts. "Sasuke... you're so cute when you try to be romantic."

"Tch."

She giggled and padded away merrily out of the dining room and into the corridor, until Sasuke heard her footsteps recede.

He balanced the two coffee cups on a white tray, alongside the four pieces of crusted toast, two plain and two smeared with thick layers of red blobs, complete with a bowl of red grapes and two yogurt pots.

Once he had entered the bedroom, he was greeted with a cheery welcome. "Breakfast in bed! Thank you, dear." Her pearly white teeth almost blinded him as he stepped gingerly towards the right side of the bed.

Sakura had brought the duvet to cover herself up to the waist as she sat up beneath the warmth of the blanket, positioned in the middle of the bed, with Sarada to her right. Sarada's eyes were still concealed with threads of black poking out of her eyelids; pillows were stacked up behind her as she faced her mother. Sasuke set the tray on the flat of the bed, and hoisted himself up so he sat cross-legged atop the blanket opposite his wife. He watched as his wife curled her fingers around the coffee mug's handle, and used her other hand to balance the mug by placing the fingertips on the rim, and brought it to her lips, hiding her lips from his view. He watched as she took a sip and closed her eyes in bliss.

"Mmm, I could get used to this..." She peeled one eye open to look at her husband, who immediately averted his gaze and looked at the tray sat before him. He took a slice of plain toast and crunched into it, bits of crust spraying onto the bed.

"Even a simple breakfast like this is so much better than scouring for food whilst on the road, huh, Sasuke?" Sakura asked, initiating conversation. Her eyes shone brightly, reflecting her newly energised and refreshed self.

"Yeah."

She put down her mug, and opened up the yogurt pot, sliding her tongue across the metallic spoon after it broke the surface of the pink creamy blanket. "Well, that's enough coffee for me today. Anymore caffeine and it can make Sarada restless..."

Sasuke worked his way through the grapes and his own mug of coffee as he listened to Sakura explain with such detail as to the importance of breastfeeding mothers lowering their caffeine intake. And then jump topic to reminding him why they need to visit Konoha hospital at 10am so they can express her breast milk and have the right formula milk for Sarada as she meets her grandparents for the first time whilst her parents are out for lunch.

"Sakura."

He had interrupted her mid-sentence. "Hm?"

"...Last night... I'm sorry."

"For what?" She arched an eyebrow as she licked the spoon filled with fermented milk.

"I... You shouldn't have to wake up at night. You do enough. I'll do better."

Sasuke masked his face under a curtain of hair, hiding his view from her face. He felt her soft hands grip his fingers, and squeeze them. He flicked the hair from his face with a tilt of his head and looked at her irises filled with love. He understood. The contact of skin against skin, and mismatched eyes reflected in pools of green spoke the words he understood the most: _thank you_.

Sasuke waited in the corridor of Konoha hospital where there lay a stream of offices on either side of the narrow hallway. He was sat on a green wooden seat with Sarada gurgling within the sling whilst tugging at his hair that he refused to cut. He looked at the analog clock resting on the opposite wall which read half past ten. Just then, the door on his left, labelled 'Haruno Sakura' on a silver plaque, creaked open. Out came a pink beauty wearing a white lab coat which hid her Uchiha crest. She kept a grip on the door handle, and used her right shin to keep the door open as she called out to Sasuke who's seat was positioned just outside of her office.

"Sasuke-kun, Shizune-sama has authorised the formula milk. They'll be delivered to us weekly starting from next week. Right now I've got bottles of my breast milk ready. We can go now and drop Sarada off, and change my name later-"

"Do it." Sasuke's face was expressionless but his eyes held a glimmer of a cold stare that was threatening to surface itself.

"Huh?"

Sasuke gestured towards the door with his head. "You're an Uchiha. Let's change it now."

A faint smirk played upon Sakura's lips, before she turned around so he was staring at her white back. "That's fine," she said, an air of confidence lifting up her words. "I'll let the main office know." Her heels clicked on the tiled floor as she left him.

Minutes ticked by five times around the clock until Sasuke noticed a brown haired man judged to be in his thirties lurking in the shadows of the other end of the corridor. He was holding a bouquet of cherry blossoms in one arm and a black velvet small box in the other. Sasuke lost interest at the man lurking in the shadows. It was likely he was visiting his lover who was a patient at the hospital... Sasuke's head snapped up when he realised that this floor of the hospital consisted of only offices of those who were heads of different departments - from assistant heads to head of surgery to head of the whole medical department. Sasuke watched with curiosity as the man found some courage and sauntered towards the office door labelled 'Haruno Sakura' and slipped inside. Sasuke watched with disinterest as Sakura came back fifteen minutes later with another man who started to replace the plaque with the new gold plaque that read:

_Uchiha Sakura_

**Head of Medical Department**

And a paper slip encased within glass that read 'Maternity Leave' in red lettering. He rolled his eyes as he heard Sakura gasp in shock at her visitor and as he confessed his love for her as he delivered a speech of how she had saved him numerous amounts of time, and each time she healed his heart, he found his heart beating only for her. Sasuke yawned as he heard Sakura apologising awkwardly as she gestured towards the new plaque and her husband and child outside. Sasuke drowned out the rest of the conversation and looked down at the angel wrapped against him. She had let go of her father's bangs and was now searching for the source of her mother's voice, her eyes flickering back and forth from Sasuke's face and the doorway, waving her fists as she did. Sasuke exposed her to his secret smile, before lifting his head up to meet the mother of his child's face. She seemed... off somehow to Sasuke. Almost discontented. Despite the smile on her face, Sasuke could see through her as he always could, but could not decipher the sudden shift in her mood.

Sasuke stood up from his seat and walked straight past the man who had attempted to court his wife, ignoring his stammering apologies and not sparing him a second glance He followed his wife until they reached home. She still had not said a word to him but had taken Sarada out of the sling that hung around Sasuke, and had started to change her out of her clothes and place her into the bathtub. He couldn't stand the silence. Usually Sasuke welcomed silence as the dear friend it is to him; even with her, he usually didn't mind silence if it meant he could enjoy the stillness of the air with her, and observe the world pass them by as if they were frozen in time. That silence was what he cherished. But this... he could feel a tension in the air, and it was one he could live without. As he packed two of Sarada's bodysuits which they had bought during their travels, and other necessities such as nappies and the bottled breast milk, he forced himself to start a conversation.

"Sakura," Sasuke called out. "I don't think anyone should get your name wrong now. With the new plaque and your Uchiha crest, it should be quite clear."

The only response he heard was the splashing of water. He decided to wait a few minutes more before he gave in and impatiently intruded the bathroom. He found her drying down their offspring into a plum towel.

"Sakura," he said, trying again.

"I'm a bit busy, Sasuke," came the response, a hint of annoyance exposing itself through her bitter tone. She continued to lather oil onto their baby. Sasuke stood stunned. It was a rare thing for him to not gain Sakura's full attention, let alone brush him off so easily. She stood up from her kneeling position and hoisted Sarada in her arms, and walked past Sasuke. As she passed him, he felt for the first time the pain of rejection. He followed her through to the bedroom, and devised a new strategy. He pulled out a pink onesie with the Uchiha crest emblazoned on the back they had ordered from a town and waited for Sakura to secure a nappy onto Sarada. He noticed she hesitated before taking the onesie from him. He held Sarada's wrists and then feet as Sakura buttoned their daughter into her clothes. Once Sarada was ready, he turned to face his wife again.

"Has something happened?" He asked dully, masking his concern.

"Has something happened?!" She echoed, scoffing. "You tell me."

Sasuke furrowed his brows. She still wouldn't meet his gaze, so he held her chin forcing her to meet him halfway. He spoke carefully, weighing his words. "Was it something... that man said? At the hospital."

Her brows furrowed, forming crease lines on her otherwise flawless forehead. She glared back at him. "He didn't bother me. Did he bother you? Tell me that."

"No, why would he?" Sasuke replied honestly. Apparently that was the wrong thing to say as she pushed his hand off of her face. She sunk onto the bed beside Sarada and burrowed her face into her hands. When he tried to touch her again, she flinched.

"Sakura... Do you expect me to be mad at him? Is that it?"

"I EXPECT you to show signs of jealousy... but you... you didn't even..."

Sasuke sat beside her and stole her left hand away from her face and held it. "Why would I be jealous when I know you belong to me?" He had known all along that she had only ever loved him, and after everything they had been through together, he couldn't see why he would harbour feelings of jealousy when he was sure of who her heart belonged to. She had always devoted her whole being to him, and no one else.

Sakura uncovered the rest of her face and gaped up at him, suddenly ashamed of her behaviour. She was about to apologise when he suddenly noticed the new silver bangles adorned on each of her wrists. He let go of her fingers and grabbed her by the wrist just below the bangle, and held it up in between their faces. A shadow of doubt crept up his skin. His tone became dangerously cold as he interrogated her, "Where did you get this?"

Sakura looked at the object in question. "Oh this... Akira, that patient, he gave it..."

Sasuke's eyes enlarged in fury and he jerked her wrist towards him in full force and kissed the spot below the bangle with such passion. It was only when he dug his teeth into her, claiming her, that she cried out in pain, startling Sarada in turn.

"Sasuke, you're hurting me!" She cried out in anguish.

He brought his mouth away and his loosened his grip, but still held onto it. He scowled at her, seething, "You're mine, dammit! I don't want to see you wearing these!" His chest heaved as he reminded her which family she belonged to.

She tore her wrist away from his grip and soothed the purple bruise with her other wrist, rubbing it to relieve herself of the soreness before working her chakra until purple faded into white. Sasuke attempted to grab her wrist again, meaning to slip the bangle off and hurl it aside but she was too quick. "STOP," Sakura scolded. "You've misunderstood."

"I understood very well. He was trying to court you with those bangles. I saw the box. And now you're wearing it, showing off that you're his-"

"NO. No." She placed a hand on his puffed up chest to calm him. "Maybe at first yes, but after I explained that I'm married to the love of my life he insisted I keep these as a wedding gift. That's all..."

It was Sasuke's turn to feel abashed. Sakura turned towards Sarada and held her so Sasuke had a clear view of his child's tears over his wife's right shoulder. Sasuke wiped Sarada's tears with his thumb, and looked down at the small gap left on the bed between him and his wife. He closed the gap by stretching out his hand until it found her Uchiha crest buried under hair and he moved her hair onto her other shoulder, leaving him room to stroke the family crest. He kissed the crown of her head delicately. "I'm sorry... Sakura," he whispered, gravely. "I'm sorry I hurt you." He pressed his eyes shut, not allowing the tears to fall as he clenched his teeth. He felt her back release the tension it had built up, and observed as she put Sarada down onto the bed again - her whimpers silenced.

He let his head fall onto the forest of pink hair, taking in her scent: cherry blossoms and daffodils. He sighed into her, and wrapped his arm around her waist. "I'm sorry," he breathed. "I don't want to hurt you." He heard her stifled sob, and felt her soft hands stroke his callused hand.

"I know," she whispered back, her words held back with a choke.

"But I've been worried, Sasuke," she addressed him, her voice low. "You don't speak to me anymore. Not like you used to at least. You don't tell me your thoughts."

He frowned into the back of head, unaware of what she talking about. When he didn't respond, she continued. "..At first, I thought maybe you needed some time to accept fatherhood now that Sarada is here with us. But it's been almost a month since she's been born... 25 days exact, actually. You said yesterday you were happy, and that made me feel at ease, but... I can't help but think that maybe, maybe, you wish it was different."

Sasuke lifted his head up from her hair and shifted himself so he could see her side profile, balancing himself so he was at the very edge of the bed. There were tears that had travelled down her face. He kissed the trail it left. "I don't know what you're saying," he whispered, gruffly. "Of course I'm happy. This is my happy face." She adjusted her face so she could see his stoic expression, and a bubble of laughter burst from her lips. He smiled at her as she rubbed her tears away with the back of her hand, satisfied that _he_ had made _her_ laugh.

She readjusted her position, so that she sat kneeling on the bed facing him. She studied his face and asked a question before her courage fleeted away. "So you don't miss her then?"

The question caught Sasuke by surprise. "Miss who?"

Sakura averted her gaze from his questioning look. "The pink-haired woman that Karin finished off... The one I fought whilst heavily pregnant. It tore me to shreds when she told me, which is why I couldn't stand to even speak to you at the hideout - other than you being a dick about Karin. But then after I found that Karin killed her, I brushed it off. And then I thought that well it happened so long ago when we weren't together anymore, and you know, she really was a beautiful woman but now you barely tell me anything so I just started to doubt-"

"What?" Sasuke looked at her, interrupting her rambles, his face a blank canvas. He watched her as doubt shadowed her face.

"She said you..."

"Sakura." He spoke her name with such lush, and it melted her. He kept his gaze locked on hers as his right iris swirled, transitioning from black into crimson red with flecks of black. He dove into her mind, searching for her memories until he found what she was referring to.

The world was tinged in _sharingan_ red.

_Sakura had been slumped onto a rock, her feet and wrists tied with rope. A pink-haired woman swayed her hips as she approached Sakura. The woman was almost a reflection of Sakura, apart from her shorter hair and hazel eyes. She wore a mesh top that showed off her feminine form and black shorts that grazed her knees._

_"So, we finally meet. You must be Sakura, the darling wife, hm?" The woman teased, her hand resting on her hip. "Does Sasuke still moan my name? Does he whisper 'Oh, Haruko' in your ear? If he doesn't, I bet he still thinks about me. Oh, how I miss the taste of his lips... so_ venomous _." A smirk dressed itself on her lips, and she fluttered her eyelashes._

_"Sasuke... would never...arghh", Sakura insisted, writhing in pain._

_"Oh, wouldn't he? That unborn child of yours should rightfully be mine. You see, he_ told _me of what went down between you two. The way you touched him, but left him feeling unfulfilled. And how he left to be rid of you... It's such a shame my womb didn't quicken, or I'm sure he would have stayed-"_

Sasuke could watch no more. He used his _sharingan_ to reveal to her the truth behind the web of lies that had infiltrated into her mind and heart which had left her second-guessing their happiness. Sakura collapsed forward, but he caught her with his lone arm, his brawny hand catching her shoulder. She fluttered her eyes to look up at him. "I-I'm sorry I ever doubted you, Sasuke-kun..."

"Tch. As if I would ever so much as look at anyone else. You should know I only have eyes for you."

He lowered his head and grazed his lips against hers, and then sucked on her lower lip. He broke off from her before she could return the favour. "Don't you forget it. Wife," he demanded her, voice husky with desire. He rose up and opened the wardrobe to pick up a navy blue top.

"Her _jutsu_ must have been to not only poison her opponent, but to also steal memories. What a pain," Sasuke reflected. "I'll have to confirm with Ibiki's report later."

Sakura stood up from the bed and stretched. The sunlight seeping in made her hair glow until it looked almost golden. She turned her head to face the clock that sat above the doorway and suddenly tugged at Sasuke's elbow.

"It's already noon! I saw Ino at the main office, she said we're all to meet at half past twelve. Let's go!"

The clouds had parted, and the sun sprayed down light from the heavens, glistening everything in its path. Sasuke held Sarada, and Sakura held Sarada's bag full of essentials. The Uchiha family left their home, and sauntered off into the sunlight.

* * *

The midday sun loomed high above them as the crowd of leaves chattered amongst themselves amidst the wind. There wasn't a speck of white in sight amongst the clear blue sky. The Uchiha family swam beneath the vast ocean of the blanket that hung above them, nodding and smiling at civilians who gawked at them as they made their way to Sasuke's in-laws. Sasuke had been weighing how he would approach them - wonder what their reaction would be as they knew of his sins of having abandoned their precious daughter. Had the knowledge of a granddaughter fuelled their anger, proof that he had done more than abandon Sakura, but also break a sacred promise? Would they overlook the disrespect and heartache he had caused by accepting their new additions to their family? He wasn't sure. But he had faith that the gleam in his child's eye would be enough to win them over, and so he welcomed the sunlight that kissed his raven hair.

They stood on a road lined with houses, as if they were touching shoulder to shoulder. Sakura inhaled before knocking on the door. The whispers on the road passed by behind them before the door creaked open. A burly man with dusty pink hair grinned at them, a complete contrast to his blonde wife who was wearing a scowl. Kizashi stood a few inches shorter than Sasuke, but he paraded them in with the confidence of a giant.

Once inside the living room, Mebuki gave her daughter a piece of her mind.

"Sakura!", Mebuki scolded. "Is this how you greet your parents? You just leave everything behind one night, are gone for almost a year, and then I have to hear from the HOKAGE that you're MARRIED?! This is not how I raised you! Not even a single letter! Do you know how WORRIED we were?"

Kizashi put a hand on her shoulder, and attempted to calm her down. "Now, Mebuki. She's here now, isn't she? And with a little gem as well." Kizashi let go of his angered wife and strolled over towards his son-in-law and grinned down at Sarada who was resting in Sasuke's arm. "She's a real beauty. Definitely gets her looks from her grandpa." He winked at Sasuke.

Mebuki's jaw tightened. "THAT is a surprise. Why did I have to hear from Ino that I had a granddaughter? Seriously, Sakura. Maybe now that you have a child of your own you'll stop this foolish obsession over your beloved 'Sasuke-kun' and start acting like a responsible adult."

Sakura glanced at Sasuke with a look that could only have meant an apology on her parent's behalf. "Mum, I'm sorry about all that," Sakura apologised half-heartedly, turning towards her mother again. "But if you're not going to look after Sarada, then I'm afraid we'll have to find someone else last minute-"

"That won't be necessary," Mebuki cut her off. Mebuki took three strides towards Sasuke and disentangled Sarada from her father. "She is my blood after all..." Her anger subsided and in its place contentment appeared, as she lowered her voice. "And I'm happy you both have decided to settle down. I just wish I could have been at my only child's wedding. But all that doesn't matter now. You're together and safe."

Sasuke smiled at Sakura. He turned back to his in-laws and slightly bowed his head. "Thank you both, and I'm sorry for all I've done."

Kizashi slapped Sasuke on the back and guffawed. "Don't worry about it, son. You brought our deranged daughter home and gave us even more." He continued to bark out laughter. The corner of Sasuke's lips curled upwards slightly as he closed his eyes, forming invisible bonds with his family.

Sasuke pretended to listen to Kizashi's lame jokes and bad puns as Sakura placed the bag of essentials at the foot of the sofa, explaining to her mother when Sarada's next feed should be. They left and made their way towards Ichiraku. Sakura nudged Sasuke with her left shoulder.

"Hm?"

"What did you make of that?" She asked, an eyebrow raised.

"It didn't go that bad."

"You think?" She titled her head slightly.

"I believe in Sarada. She's like you, she can easily win people over," he said casually. The compliment made Sakura blush and bite her lower lip. She looked away as she slowly reached out and found his fingers, her soft slender ones in his calloused larger ones. He relented and allowed her to have this moment. Their feet led them towards a route they were both all too familiar with, but the stalls and stores they were used to seeing had been replaced, modern buildings sat in their place. Sakura mumbled something about coming the wrong way when they heard their names being yelled from a few stores down. Sasuke loosened his grip, and freed his fingers from Sakura as they came closer to the group of childhood friends and their lovers crowding around a restaurant that hung fresh flaps that read 'Ichiraku Ramen' in red lettering from the roof. The glass windows on either side of the metallic door had patterned vertical lines, obstructing curious customers from peeping and forcing them to enter the hero's favourite ramen diner to fully experience the aroma that seduced the road.

"You made it on time!" Ino said, greeting the Uchiha couple with a warm smile. "Thank God you don't take after your old Sensei." Ino put her arm through her husband's, and the Yamanaka's entered the restaurant, the metallic door swishing aside without a touch to prompt it.

The Uchiha couple exchanged greetings with the rest of the group inside. A waiter greeted the group, and ushered them in. The windows behind them were lined vertical and horizontal lines, forming squares, with the proud leaf insignia seated in the middle. Opposite the entrance lay the counter, and a cashier register where more unfamiliar staff waited behind. The theme of the restaurant was comprised of yellow walls and red seats scattered along the walls of the famous restaurant. Wooden stools rested in front of the counter, waiting patiently for customers to claim them.

The group of friends, old and new, all sat around two large circle tables on the left far side of Ichiriaku, couples sitting shoulder to shoulder. Around one circle table sat Sakura and Sasuke, on his right sat Naruto Uzumaki, and his wife Hinata Uzumaki; the table circled, and on her right sat Shikamaru and Temari Nara; and finally, sitting beside Sakura's left sat Ino and Sai Yamanaka. The second table that their group had occupied sat Choji and a female ninja who had moved from Kumogakure and had introduced herself stiffly as Karui Akimichi - the glances she gave to Sasuke were like daggers staking his soul; Kiba and Tamaki - Sasuke recognised her from his childhood as the granddaughter of the cat lady who worked for the Uchiha clan and when he had visited her with his old team Taka; known for her immaculate art of weaving the Uchiha crest onto clothing - sat on Karui's right. Shino, Tenten, Lee and his wife - a black haired civilian - sat on the remaining seats. Everyone was still busy choosing their order when the Uzumaki's received theirs. As regulars, the staff already knew their order, and as they had a voucher for life no time was wasted on exchanging money for their miso soup ramen with extra naruto toppings. Once the rest of the group had ordered their meals, the Uzumaki's were already on their seconds.

"Wow, this place really has changed," Sakura piped up, looking around in awe, adoring the ceiling lights that shone brightly down on her. "I would have never thought this place could house so many customers."

"I told you you'd be surprised," Shikamaru reminded her, an amused smirk on his lips.

"Yeah, dattebayo!" Naruto chimed in. "The Ichirikau guy requested to expand the restaurant once he heard Hinata was pregnant. He said it was a gift for my family, so I can share my love for ramen with my growing family and friends." Naruto shared a wide grin, and Hinata blushed on cue.

Temari narrowed her eyes at Naruto. "You've been coming here since you were a kid, right?" Her voice was dripping in disbelief and a droll tone she could have only inherited from her husband.

"Yup."

"And you still don't know his name?"

"N-No I do!" Naruto stammered. "It's u-uh T- Uh.."

"Teuchi", Hinata offered quietly.

"Yeah, yeah. Teuchi, see? I know his name!" Naruto rubbed the back of his head with his bandaged arm and grinned down at Hinata.

"Loser," Sasuke breathed out almost silently.

"Hey! Don't 'loser' me, Sasuke!" Naruto snapped back, whilst Sakura was lost in a conversation with Ino and Sai. "When I'm Hokage, I'll know everyone's name in the village! From your Sarada to Teuchi."

"I'm surprised you even know my daughter's name, hn," Sasuke provoked.

"Well it is my duty as future Hokage to know the names of the future shinobi," Naruto winked at Sasuke, before turning to the Nara couple. "That'll definitely be a Shika- something-" he pointed behind him with a thumb. "-and that'll be a Cho something. I'm already on it."

Naruto's remark caught Sakura's attention. She gaped at Temari and Shikamaru. "Huh? So you're... Congratulations! You look like you can't be anymore than 4 months pregnant judging by your shape."

"Yeah, soon enough I'll have another lazy pain in the ass to deal with," Temari snarked. Snickers erupted from around the table.

"Ah, and Karui," Sakura spoke, her voice distant as she was lost in thought. "At first glance, you'd think she had just embraced the Akimichi clan fully. But by looking at her... I can only conclude that she's five months pregnant."

"Right on the mark," Shikamaru confirmed.

Sakura turned towards Ino. "So... that leaves only you, Ino." Ino waved her hands in front of her face, flustered. "Huuuh?"

Sakura sneered, "Well, don't you three do everything together? Ino-Shika-Cho and all that?"

Ino regained her composure. "Well me and Sai decided we wanted to enjoy married life together for a little bit-"

"That's not true," Sai interrupted, a smile painting his face. "Me and Ino have been very busy everyday and night-"

"SAI!" Both Ino and Sakura yelled.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot we don't talk about those things in restaurants," Sai apologised in a robotic manner, the smile still pinned onto his face. "The books I've been reading on marital relations stated that talking about intimacy between a husband and his wife should not be spoken about in public, so I've been trying to tone it down a bit-" Sai was interrupted by the waiters serving their meals and serving the Uzumaki's their fifth bowls. The classmates thanked the waiters before Sai continued. "Although Kakashi advised me that I don't need to always follow the advice from the books I read, and he explained to me that the engagement ring I gifted Ino is not a custom that is followed in the Land of Fire..."

Sasuke kept to himself as he observed from the corner of his eye Naruto feeding his wife with chopsticks. His friends and family, enjoined in each other's company, laughing and bickering together... this was all thanks to this dork that sat beside him. Sasuke was still lost in thought, enjoying as the warm juice of his meal satisfied his hunger, when he noticed Naruto gaping, wide eyed at Sasuke's wife. Ino was yelling for napkins, and Shikamaru huffed out what sounded like a 'what a drag'. Sasuke turned his head around to face his flustered wife to set his eyes on what the commotion was all about. Her face was a bright red, as red as her dress... but her chest was an even deeper red, visibly wet as it revealed how much her breasts had enlarged over the duration of her pregnancy.

"They're... almost... as big as Hinata's was before she became pregnant..." Naruto gasped out loud. Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Naruto, activating his _sharingan_ with a look that could kill. Naruto caught onto his glare, and gulped before turning to an equally red-faced Hinata, stammering his apologies and explanations. None of the napkins which Ino was using to dab Sakura's breasts could console her. Unaware of any other solution, Sasuke pulled his navy blue top off and pulled it over Sakura's head without a single word of explanation. Immediately, squeals across the rest of the restaurant erupted at the sight of the bare chested Uchiha. Sakura looked up at her husband and stuttered, "O-oh, thank you, Sasuke-kun." She rested her head on his shoulder, and her flushed face ceased to its original creamy complexion. "You're such a sweetheart."

Embarrassed at the public display of affection, Sasuke nudged her off before getting out of his seat. "Huh? Darling? Are we going?"

"Yeah," he replied, straining his voice attempting to keep his irritation in check. Sakura thanked their friends for arranging the meal, and followed Sasuke's lead towards the counter where he was paying for both of their meals. It was once Sakura had her back to her group of friends that Tamaki piped up, "Oh, Uchiha-san!" She caught the attention of both the Uchiha members who turned to look at her. "I noticed Sasuke doesn't have the Uchiha symbol on his t-shirt. Don't hesitate to ask me if you want your family crest on your clothing. Now that I live in Konoha, Sasuke-san shouldn't worry about travelling outside." Sakura smiled and thanked her. "We'll be sure to come to you if we need anything." Just as she finished expressing her gratitude, she felt her left wrist become enslaved and dragged out into the sunlight.

He teleported them outside of their home. He unclasped his firm grip and used his key to barge the door open.

"Uh... Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked, apprehensively reaching out towards his lone arm.

Sasuke glowered down at her. "What time did you tell your parents we'll pick Sarada up?" He asked, his voice dangerously low.

"Erm, after sunset. I thought we'd be spending the whole day with... Darling, are you okay?" Her warm fingers had found his cool skin. Her touch was electrifying.

"Say my name," his voice was gruff as he whispered down to her, slowly leaning forward until their foreheads touched.

"Eh?"

"Say. It," he demanded.

"Sasuke," she breathed out. He closed his eyes in response, bathing in the sweet sound of her voice. She let go of his arm as she felt him relax, but his hand only found her upper left arm.

"Touch me," he insisted, his grave whispers a lullaby to her ears. She complied with his wishes, and held his hand. He kissed her diamond seal, and lead her up the steps towards their bedroom. The 'WELCOME HOME' banner still hung above them as he took his top off of her and unbuttoned the top of her dress. He pushed her down until pink hair met white plump pillows.

"Sasuke, aren't we going to get changed and meet with everyone at the Hyuuga compound to meet Boruto? That's what Ino was saying-"

"Shut up."

He clambered on top of her and balanced himself on his stump as he stroked the skin that hid her heart. "Nobody looks at these except me and Sarada. Nobody." The fire in his eyes raged, as his scowl deepened. Sakura pushed him off her, so he knelt beside her as she sat up. "Is THAT what this is about? Sometimes I wonder who's the hormonal one here," she teased, giggling. His frown deepened.

She lightly placed her hand over his own heart, feeling it thud beneath her palms. "But I'm not sure if you really want to finish what we started last night... My body's changed a lot over the last couple of months, and my stomach, as Ino kept pointing out, is as big as Choji's-"

"Shut up about Ino. You think I care what Ino thinks? You think I care about anyone's opinions, besides yours?" He chastised. He parted the ends of her dress, and found her stomach hiding beneath. "I don't care how large or flat it is. This stomach carried my child - do you know how grateful I am for that?" He pinned her to the bed again. "And you're wrong about another thing."

"Wh-what?" A faint red colouring tainted her cheeks as she stared up at him.

"Just because I haven't been vocal about it, doesn't mean I'm still not madly in love with you and adore Sarada." He closed the gap between them with a fierce kiss, and felt her nails raking his back. One of her hands then found their way lost beneath a tangle of raven hair, as their lower limbs also found themselves in an entanglement.

Sakura pulled apart for air, and panted up at her husband, "Sasuke... Say that again."

"What?"

"That you're in love with me," she insisted.

"No," he smirked before finding her lips again with his.

Sakura stretched her arms above her, her feet dangling from the bed. Sasuke watched from the bed as the sunlight hit her exposed fair skin in just the right places, making her hair and one side of her body glisten like the river at sunset as it shone like a million different mirrors. Sakura bent over and picked up Sasuke's blue top and pulled it over her. "Next time remind me to spend less time on picking out birth control, and more time on expressing milk."

He wrapped his arm around her waist, bringing her back to him. "I believe that top is mine," he whispered into her ear seductively.

She leaned into his touch and stroked his hand. "I believe you lost rights over it when you gave it to me."

"Tch." He kissed the back of her head.

Her laugh was free and warm and sounded as if angels were performing the opera. "You can have it back once we get the crest sewn on."

The rest of the day slipped away as they picked Sarada up from her grandparents home early to their dismay, who didn't want her to depart so soon. It was when they finally met Naruto's son that Sasuke had come to the realisation that he had been blessed with a tranquil baby, despite her cries which were nothing compared to the blonde infant. Their friends cooed back at the two babes, taking it in turns to cradle the new generation as Hanabi Hyuuga handed out champagne and non-alcoholic bubbly to the new and expecting mothers. The day ended with the three Uchiha members looking over the hillside their home rested upon, watching the sunset together. Sakura cradled their child in her arms, and Sasuke wrapped his protective arm around her waist. As the sun lowered itself away, the previous ocean blue sky had been tinged in arrays of pinks and oranges. The clouds had floated into the horizon, as they drifted seamlessly, attempting to cover the tangerine sun but only adopting a dye of cotton candy. But the cotton candy locks that tickled his cheek had become golden; her jade eyes reflected the beauty of the sun, and below her, onyx eyes reflected the last embers of sunlight.

"It's still so beautiful..." she whispered, gazing up at the sky, struck by the enchantment of the golden orb.

He looked down at her and said, "I know." _You are._ If he had blinked he might have missed the small smile that flashed across her lips. But he didn't. On the contrary, he had it ingrained into his bank of memories with his scarlet _sharingan_. The Uchiha family welcomed the breezy night to greet them, before heading inside, ready to meet the sunlight of many more years to come.


	13. Starlight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another long chapter. I really wanted to write about cute domestic SasuSakuSara life before Sasuke departs for his long-term missions. Feel free to skip to when Sarada becomes 24 months if it's too long... enjoy!

Two years had drifted away and Sasuke looked up at a starless sky, his head resting on his lone hand as his onyx eye searched for a glimmer of hope in the darkness. His body was bruised and bloodied beneath his tattered shirt as he lay in a foreign land. The bed of grass below him attempted to calm his anxieties, but failed, as Sasuke reminisced about the past two years... 

His thoughts trickled down his perfectly arched face, freeing itself from his cold skin as it landed on the carpet of grass beneath him. Every droplet was another memory that wrenched his heart into turmoil. Every thought of laughter and smiles from his loved ones was another curse. The feel of lips against lips sent electricity up his spine. Tiny hands clasping his was death itself taunting him. The first of his thoughts clouded his mind:

It was the night of their reunion with their old classmates, and Sakura had been updating her anti-social husband on the gossip and discussions she had had with her friends. She had learnt which of their friends had gifted them what, such as how it was Sai who had painted the Uchiha crest, and how Naruto had bragged how he paid for most of the new furniture, but it was Hinata who had confessed that he had used Sasuke's inheritance to pay for most of it. Sakura was also slightly disappointed to learn that Tsunade was on vacation and no one knew when she was expected to return. 

Sakura continued to meet up with her friends, trading parenting tips and whispering marital confessions that made her and her female friends blush and giggle. Sasuke would at first drag himself and Sarada along the first few times for Sakura's sake, but eventually he would huff at her requests and treasure his time with Sarada alone.

_Drop._

***

She was eight days short of four months old. It was a hot day in July when he was awaken by his wife. Their child was sprawled against his own body, his arm guarding her tiny frame, vowing to keep her safe. He pried his onyx eye open to look at his wife who was hovering over him, her lips a bright cherry-red. 

"Ah, sorry, Sasuke-kun. I didn't mean for your lips to..." 

"What's wrong with my lips?" He mumbled, still worn out from the multiple times he awoke at night to soothe Sarada. 

Sakura brought her thumb down to Sasuke's lips and dragged it along the corners of his mouth. When she finally broke contact he could see the bright red plastered over her thumb. His eyes refused to cooperate and he found himself dozing off again. 

"Darling," he heard, her silky voice ringing in his ear. "Sasuke-kun. I'll take Sarada from you." He felt her arms unclasp his own from Sarada's hips, and suddenly a small weight was lifted from his torso. 

When he was finally wide awake, feeling revitalised, he stepped out of the shower with only a towel covering his modesty. He rummaged through their wardrobe, but suspiciously found all his tops missing. Frustrated, he cloaked his lower body in the first boxers and trousers he could find.

"Sakura," he called with slight urgency, as he padded down the stairs, clad in only black trousers. With every step he took, the smell of cooking wafted towards him. He opened the door to the dining room, casting a glance at Sarada who was chewing the ear of a green teddy he had gifted her. His mismatched eyes found Sakura in the adjoining kitchen, head bent over the counter. He paced forward and asked, "Sakura, have you seen my tops?" 

Her head jerked up at his voice. She turned around to meet his gaze, as she smiled at him with sweat dripping down her glistening forehead. "Oh, darling. I didn't expect you to be up already," she chuckled nervously. 

"Sakura," he tried again. "My clothes." 

She turned back towards the counter. "I didn't even finish the cake yet. I was trying out this new recipe I learnt from Choji's wife, Karui. She makes it for Choji without him knowing so he doesn't put on more weight than necessary. No sugar, so it shouldn't be sweet, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow and looked at all the dishes that were placed in the middle of the table behind him. He didn't fail to notice that they were all his favourites and more: beef stir-fried sukiyaki with added tomatoes, vegetable stew, tomato salad and hard-boiled eggs. In the middle of the table was placed a glass vase holding white camellias complimented with red roses; the colours of the Uchiha crest, he noted.

He walked towards his wife, and towered over her. His heart thumping close to her ears, as he wrapped his arm around her waist. But alas, his presence still did not grant him her full attention. He was growing impatient, and he growled her name again, but all she gave him was a lecture about how he should be resting. He had had enough. He grasped onto her pink apron and tugged it off, causing the strings to snap. At this, she finally turned to face him properly. 

"Sasuke!" She snapped. There were something about her anger that aroused Sasuke. He smirked at her. "My apron..."she pouted.

"I'll buy you a new one," he said, and her pout still lingered, but her emerald eyes gave away her delight. "You've been ignoring me," he stated, factually. 

She sighed heavily, exasperated. "It's this stupid cake. I can't seem to make it right. I just wanted everything to be perfect, Sasuke-kun. How am I supposed to know if you'll like it, if I don't like it myself?" He looked at the cake batter dripping from her fingers. He stole away her index finger, and sucked onto it, earning himself a bright red blush to form on his wife's cheeks. "It's good," he said simply. "Not sweet." He enjoyed watching her become all flustered, smirking down at her before he remembered why he sought her out. "Sakura. Clothes?" 

Her eyes widened, and then a smirk formed on her own lips. She turned to wash her hands, and then painted his naked torso in wet finger marks. "But I like seeing you naked," she teased, seductively. 

He rolled his eyes at her and pulled her hands away. He was all too aware of their child's presence only metres away. "Stop. Also, why all the food? Are we celebrating something?" 

She gasped. "I knew it!" She dragged his lone arm and pushed him into a wooden seat at the dining table so that he was staring the aromatic feast right in the face. "You really haven't celebrated this day in a long time, have you?" He was perplexed at what she was talking about. Sakura brought out a plastic bag from behind the door and gifted it to him. He raised a sceptic brow at her, but she insisted he open it. Inside were all his tops and some new, all with Uchiha crests emblazoned on the back. 

"Happy birthday, Sasuke-kun."

_Drop._

***

Six months old, and Sasuke had kept his promise. He was always the first to wake to still her cries at night, just like how Sakura would soothe him after a series of whimpering her name at night when he had returned from his journey of redemption. Sasuke would hum a lullaby, rocking his angel, before kissing her forehead and placing her back onto the bed and equipping her with a bottle of milk. Every moment with his child was a moment of bliss and serenity. In the stillness of the night, behind his wife's resting body, he would measure his daughter's hands with his own, comparing the small pudginess as it tried to grasp his own rough, large hands. Everything about her was a miracle to him. Just her soft breaths that she took captivated him, the gurgles and the toothless smiles breathed into him, her soft snores and her farts never failed to make the corners of his lips curl upwards. She was a miracle. When he was sure that Sakura was sound asleep, or when she was off doing errands or catching a break from motherhood with her female friends, Sasuke would whisper to his daughter what he loved about her mother. Sasuke would whisper promises that he would keep his daughter safe no matter at what cost. He would whisper to her - and she would grin back up at him, a tiny flash of white spying at him hidden in the folds of pink gums. 

It was during the daytime that Sakura would spend most of her time with Sarada, as Sasuke did the household chores. He would come from a journey to the shops to hear his wife coo to their daughter, "Your Papa is such a gentle man. Yes he is. Yes he is, Sara-chan. And when your Papa comes home, Papa will fix your Mama a big meal. And when you grow up, Papa will make YOU a meal." He would often hear her refer to themselves as Papa and Mama to Sarada, so it was no wonder when Sarada started gurgling sounds such as "pah" and "mah". 

Papa. He was a Papa.

_D_ _rop._

***

Seven months old and should would hoist herself up. She would grab onto her Papa's cloak and attempt to match his strides as he paced around the house, folding the laundry. She would often trip, and land with a thud as the rest of her small body met the floor. But her Papa would always be there to pick her up, and run his thumbs along her tears, and whisper to her words of comfort, just how Sakura once did to him. He would kiss her forehead, and then allow her to sit in his lone arm as she straddled his neck with her pudgy arms, forcing him to abandon whatever chore he was engaged in. 

_Drop._

***

"Papa." 

Tears brimmed in his eyes, and he kissed her nose. It was thanks to his wife that _he_ had been their child's first word. Just like he was Sakura's first love. 

That evening, when Sarada was in a deep slumber, they stole away to the spare bedroom to remind each other what they meant to the other, slipping off the barriers of fabric that separated them. Whispering their lover's name. Tugging at long locks. Coiled in love.

Eight months.

_Drop._

***

March 31st. 

Thanks to his idiot best friend, his wife's birthday had been overshadowed by Naruto and Hinata's wedding anniversary combined with their son's first birthday party. The party, three days prior, had mainly consisted of adults supervising infants at a play date. Sasuke didn't bother himself with memorising the names of the new generation - he could barely remember Naruto's son's name. He just knew it rhymed with 'Naruto'. Sakura, on the other hand, knew each and every one of the new babes, and took it upon herself to take as many pictures of the infants as she could. 

It was during this party that someone had brought up the discussion of honeymoons, and Sasuke found himself bombarded with questions of how he spent his honeymoon with Sakura. Sasuke's only response was a narrow glare, demanding privacy of his sacred relationship with his wife. 

It was March 31st when he surprised his wife a few hours after sunrise by lunging a packed rucksack at her sleeping form. They journeyed to a nearby town they had briefly visited when Sarada was still a newborn. The next three days consisted of cruising on ships whilst watching the river gleam beneath them during the midday sun; showing Sarada the different animals at the zoo; and watching the fireworks together at night on a bench, distancing themselves from the crowds. It was on the third night that Sakura probed him, "You really went all out for our birthday, what brought this all along, hmm?" 

He couldn't seem to meet her pacifying stare, and looked up at the bursts of colours that lit up the dark sky. "I.. I'm sorry," he managed weakly.

He wasn't sure, but he imagined her face contorted from amusement into bewilderment as she said, "Huh? What are you talking about?" 

He burrowed himself into Sarada's fine hair who was resting within his embrace. He murmured into black silk, "We never got to have a honeymoon... So I'm sorry. I hope this trip can make up for it."

He instinctively lifted his head up to meet the burst of laughter that bubbled up from Sakura. Streaks of red tainted his cheeks. "What's so funny?" He asked, his eyes narrow, suspicious of being the subject of her laughter.

She muffled her laughter by resting her head on his shoulder. "Oh, Sasuke-kun," she purred. "Our travels together was like one long honeymoon, don't you think?" 

The flush on his cheeks only deepened. "Is that really enough for you?" He questioned. She curled her arms around the remnants of his left arm and kissed his black kimono that concealed his stump. She lifted her head to meet his onyx eye that looked down at her, his brows furrowed. She used one hand to gently part away the long black bangs that covered his purple ripples that captivated her more than his _sharingan_. 

"I've told you before, Sasuke. You've always been enough." She smiled sweetly up at him, and he felt his insides flutter in response. She took Sarada from his arm, and squeezed their daughter into an embrace. "More than enough." 

He understood the language of her gestures, and he could only agree with her. The fruition of their child is what had brought them together, entwining his fate with hers, making their bond official. Their travels together whilst Sakura's stomach bloomed in pregnancy made their journey together all the more heavenly, despite the different tasks they were still occupied with at the time. Everything had fallen into place once they had legitimised their relationship, and it was only due to the news of a small bud - a flicker - that had made him come to his senses. Even under a starless sky, Sarada was the starlight that would always guide him home to Sakura. 

Sakura had noticed the intensity in the way he was looking down at her and Sarada. She knew full well he didn't like public displays of affection, but she wondered if in this moment he desired a more physical way of displaying his emotions. The thought made her blush, but she attempted to seize the opportunity anyway. She tilted her face up towards him, closing her eyes as she leaned in close. 

"What are you doing?" He hissed. 

She looked at him through half-lidded jade eyes and whispered, "Kiss me, Sasuke." She slightly puckered her lips, her right hand buried in the black hair of their daughter who was staring up at her mother in wonder. Sasuke watched his wife lean towards him with a coolness in his eyes. He observed how the bursts of purple and green in the sky brightened her face in the dark. He leaned down, and went lower still, until his lips brushed his daughter's forehead. Sakura pried her eyes open at the touch of hair tickling her cheeks. She looked at him expectantly. He lifted his head and smirked, before poking her forehead. She pouted and touched where his fingers had lingered just seconds before. 

"You're such a tease, Sasuke-kun." 

_Drop._

***

Fourteen months. 

That's how old she was when her Mama's maternity leave had ended. Mama was cooped up in the hospital for most days, and when she was home she was either busy reading through scrolls or books borrowed from the library, or she would be fast asleep. Papa took on most of the duties in the household, as well as raising Sarada. He was still fascinated by everything she did. He knew what each of her cries meant, had memorised the meaning behind each of her gestures, and had managed to decipher each of her gurgles. He would give in to some of her demands, and at other times he would adopt a more firmer parental role, such as refusing her crying demands to play with her noisy toys whilst Mama was resting. 

When both Sakura and Sasuke were free from other duties, they would sit on either sides of the dining room, and call out to Sarada who would pad towards them, one wobbly foot after the other. It was often that she would find herself waddling up to her Papa who would envelop her in his safe arm and kiss her forehead. If she ever toppled over, Sarada would squirm out a "shano-no", earning a fit of giggles from Mama. 

_Drop._

***

July 23rd. 

Sarada sat on Papa's shoulders as he strolled across Senju park. It was on the bridge that he passed the Uzumaki family. 

"Oi! Idiot!", the loser called in a familiar manner. The blonde dork stepped away from his family and bounded towards him. "Ahh, Sarada-chan. For your Papa's birthday you should teach him how to smile." 

Sasuke scowled. 

"Uncle Narto," Sarada replied with a big grin, her tiny fists scrunching up her Papa's hair, giddy with excitement as she greeted her favourite uncle. "Papa 'appy." 

Naruto reached his hand to ruffle Sarada's coal hair. "It can be quite hard to tell," Naruto chuckled. 

Sasuke ignored Naruto's remark and pushed past him, intending to continue their stroll: a way to treasure the bond between father and daughter. He nodded towards Hinata, who greeted him back meekly as she held her son's hand. He stepped off the bridge, ready to make their way home when he was again halted by an outburst by Naruto. "Make sure you thank Sakura-chan the usual way, 'Sasuke-kuuun'!" Naruto taunted. 

Sasuke's feet came to a stop, and he turned his head slightly so that his purple ripples were fixated onto the future Hokage, his eye narrowed. "What does that mean?" He scrutinised, but Naruto's attention had already been diverted back to his wife and kid. 

The twilight sky stole away the vibrant greens surrounding them, and the deep blue of the streams, leaving only in their wake, a hue of purple and orange to dance along the cobblestones. Sasuke's feet found its way home, and he was greeted by his darling wife, "Welcome home, Sasuke!" Her rosy hair fell flat on her forehead, the tips dripping onto her white bathrobe, signalling that she had just showered. 

She reached over his head and unclasped Sarada from his arm that was holding her right foot, securing her behind his neck. The scent of lavender left soft kisses on his nose. _A new perfume?_ Once Sarada's feet landed onto the flooring, Sakura led her into the dining room, and beckoned her husband over. "Dinner's all ready," she chimed. 

~

She adorned her apron Sasuke had bought for her, a light pink printed with cherry blossoms, as they helped each other with the dishes. 

She couldn't help but notice he had worn a scowl all evening, even when Sarada had sputtered, "Papa, 'appy bthday". He was drying down a plate when she purposefully snuck behind him, warming his body up with her own. She purred into his ear, "Don't worry, Sasuke-kun. Your gift is waiting for you upstairs." Even then she barely received a reaction out of him. 

Sakura held Sarada's hand as they led Sasuke up the the stairs. They stopped outside the spare bedroom, causing a brow to lift on the _sharingan_ wielder's face. "Open the door," she urged with a smile. "Your gift is inside."

Perplexed, Sasuke slowly opened the door to find a wooden cot on the left side of the room, complete with a mobile hanging down and Sarada's favourite green teddy that was bigger than her pushed to a side. Pink and red cushions had been plumped up and were crowded into one corner of the cot. Beside the cot sat a mossy green armchair, a refreshing contrast to the deep purple of the walls and the lilac carpeting. The rest of Sarada's toys sat in a box, and her clothes were hung within the oak cupboard, a white sleeve slipping out. 

Sasuke's eyes glazed over the room, until it fell back down onto Sakura. 

"You like it?" She prodded. 

"I see that you've been busy, but... what does this have to do with me?" He questioned. 

Sakura hoisted Sarada into her arms and sat on the armchair, and parted her bathrobe open to reveal her breasts. "Go make yourself comfy, darling. I'll join you once she's asleep." 

It was another hour before Sakura found Sasuke resting on their bed, his back leaning against the headboard. She draped herself over her husband, and traced random patterns on his clothed chest. Not only was he still fully clothed, to her dismay, but he was also still wearing a scowl that could kill. She attempted to quell his frustrations by finding his collarbone with her lips, planting soft kisses, before moving to his Adam's apple which was bobbing up and down.

He grimaced and shoved her head off from him and grunted, "Enough." 

She looked up at him apologetically, but it was clear from the way she had hurriedly crawled off him that she was mostly hurt. She sat beside him on her knees, attempting to control the waver in her voice as she asked, "Is something wrong, S-Sasuke-kun? You've been acting strange ever since you got home. Maybe I should have ex-explained instead of assuming you would understand, but I fixed up the spare b-bedroom for Sarada so that we could have more time to ourselves. At least now we can finally make use of the bed when we-"

"Sakura," he said. His brows had angled towards the centre as he glared at her. "Have you been talking about... us? About what we get up to... when we're alone?" 

He had his answer when her cream complexion transitioned into a deep red. She waved her hands in front of her. "H-how do you know th-that?" She squirmed. 

He sighed, breaking the almost permanent scowl that had been etched onto his face for the last few hours. "It was something Naruto said." 

"NARUTO?! I never told him anything! But then again... Hinata did mention that Naruto has his ways of getting her to confess secrets... But I never would have imagined that they would be MY secrets! When I get my hands on that jerk, he'll wish he never met me!" 

Sasuke masked his smirk by looking away, noting how Sakura had altogether skipped over and forgiven Hinata in an instant and had instead resorted to blaming Naruto. "Sakura," he groaned. "You know I don't like people knowing about my business. Please..." 

The unspoken words hang in the air for some time, before Sakura cupped his face and turned it towards her. "I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun. So what will be my punishment?" She had a sultry look about her that danced in the green glimmers of her veridian eyes as she batted her eyelashes at him. He was entranced. She took her lower lip between the grips of her teeth and it stirred a wave of guilt flooded with arousal. He laced his fingers with hers as he apologised for his behaviour and actions with whispers and heartfelt kisses on her forehead and nose, before giving into what she desired most: her punishment. 

_Drop._

***

She won't tell him when their wedding anniversary is. He believes it's some time in August, as a result he brings her a new flower each day of the month. Each flower is adorned with tears of love, gratitude, and regret. If she doesn't understand his gestures, he makes it known to her in other ways whenever they are alone; a touch of an _I love you_ , a kiss of a _Thank you_ , and a whisper of "I'm sorry". 

It is on the last day of August that he sinks to his knees and begs for forgiveness. He promises to be a better husband and father. She just laughs and strokes his raven hair that sits on her lap. Sarada sits behind her parents on the bed and investigates her 31 new toys with her mouth. 

Seventeen months.

_Drop._

***

24 months. 

A week ago he had threatened Naruto, demanding he celebrate his wedding anniversary with his growing family in private. 

The Uchiha patriarch took his wife and daughter for another three day vacation, starting from March 28th - Sakura's birthday, to a cottage that sat beside a beach. The waves would lap up to them, causing delighted screams from a toddler as her father sunbathed and her mother swam a few metres away, enjoying the strokes of salty water crash onto her skin. The heat of the grainy sand beneath the soles of their feet smoothed away any calluses, as if the crashes of waves was finally cleansing sea shells of any grimes, freeing them from the taint of sins, and allowing them to twinkle like starlight. Ears rang of shrieks of laughter and heightened voices of excitement; where Sasuke should have felt at peace, he was only tormented with the fears growing in his ever-aching heart, riddled with anxieties... 

It was the evening of March 31st when they returned home. Sarada had passed out in Sakura's arms on the journey home, resulting in Sasuke having to carry most of the bags full of clothes and prizes Sakura had won for Sarada at the fair in his lone arm. Exhausted, they slumped onto the grassy field in front of their house and looked up at the full moon. Sakura leaned against the remnants of Sasuke's arm, with Sarada asleep between them; her silky raven locks splayed across his kimono, as the rest of her body slumped in her mother's. There was a calmness about her as she slept, Sasuke observed, the faint breathing that escaped her nose contrasted with his own erratic beats of his pulse. 

The sky was glittered with a thousand stars. Sasuke activated his _sharingan_ in order to capture this moment; in the near future when he would find no hand to hold in the darkness, no stray hairs to tuck, he would count how many stars lay within his vision, he vowed. 

"The moon looks beautiful tonight," his wife whispered, as her face glistened under the moonlight. Her words sang into Sasuke's ears, reminding him of the many times he had whispered that very line he had memorised from a love sonnet, as he felt his fingers tingle over skin, tracing the swelling of her stomach as they had lain together naked under the light of the moon during their travels.

He shut his eyes, allowing her confession of love to wash over him, only allowing himself to look at the moon again once he was sure the blood had rushed away from his face. 

"Aah," he replied. "I know." _I love you too._

His words had come out as a croak, his emotions had begun to overpower him. As he struggled to suppress the slight twitch of his fingers, Sakura reached over and held his hand, squeezing it. The soothing of her touch coursed throughout his body, engulfing him. 

"You didn't marry a fool, you know," she whispered. 

Her only reply was a chattering of the leaves that hung over them. 

"You didn't need to lie to me," she tried again, knowing that would invoke a response. 

"I've never lied to yo-"

"I know," she interrupted. "But you didn't need to hide anything from me. I know about your private meetings with Hokage-sama, Naruto and Shikamaru. You should have told me. I'm also a pillar of Konoha - I'm the head of the medical department. I'm also a member of Team 7, and most importantly, I'm your-"

"Wife. I know," he choked out. A single tear rolled down his face. Sakura turned to look at him, her face void of everything but contempt; nothing short of seriousness. 

"When are you leaving?" she probed. 

"...How did you find out?" He asked, guilt dripping from each word as he attempted to divert the conversation. 

"Sasuke, I know the human body inside and out. I knew that something was wrong months ago, but I was waiting for you to tell me in your own time. But it was Hinata who confided in me, informing me about Naruto's suspisciously long 'journey to the stalls' at odd times of the day. Honestly, you should have told me. If there's something worrying you - whether it's Kaguya or something else - you can tell me." She squeezed his hand tighter and smiled. "You can count on me. Always." 

He still struggled to meet her gaze, even when she planted a kiss on his cheek. 

"So," she tried again. "When are you leaving?" 

Silence. He gulped. He forced himself to look down on her and at least let her look onto his forlorn face as he gives her a sliver of the truth. He owed her that much. 

"At sunrise," he said. He studied her as her eyes grew wide ever so slightly, and then fell, downcast. He felt her hand slip away from his, leaving only the chill air in place of the warmth that radiated off of her. He felt the weight from his lap become lighter as she scooped up their daughter into her arms and turned away from him. Before she could take another step, he found himself on one knee as he gripped a wrist. 

"Wait!" Sasuke commanded. 

"I'm going sleep. Goodnight, Sasuke." She attempted to tug away, but his hold on her was firm. He knew full well she would not infuse her chakra whilst holding Sarada. 

"We should talk." He was now standing on both feet beside her, looking down. 

"Talk? About what?" She scoffed. "There's clearly nothing to talk about if you were just going to leave without a word." 

"I'm sorry, Sakura. This - this isn't how I wanted you to find out. I couldn't find it in myself to break it to you... I know that I've never had it in me to go with grace. But, this time... I... I don't want to leave. And especially not like this. Please, Sakura." His brows threaded together, his mismatches eyes pleading in desperation. 

She sighed, and he knew he had been forgiven. He released his grip from her. She looked towards their daughter who resembled so much of her father. "When will you return?" She whispered, almost as if a prayer. 

"It should only take three months. I'll return as soon as I can," he promised. 

"Take us with you..." 

"And what about Sarada? You know that's not safe. It wouldn't be fair on her to compromise her safety. This is... why I didn't want to tell you." He placed his hand on her shoulder. "This is where you're needed Sakura. With our daughter. I'll be fine." 

She looked up at her husband in defeat, her lips quivering as she spoke. "You're right, I'm just being selfish," she admitted, sounding broken. "But please, Sasuke. Please come back to me," she pleaded. "Come back home." 

He took a step forward, closing the distance. And kissed her on her brow. _I will._

_Drop._

***

The crescent moon hung low in the sky, reflecting the sun's light into a haze of silver that danced along every atom it touched. A silver finger of light touched the tears of a man's face, as he lay motionless on a bed of grass, staring into the starless sky. Two years of peace, laughter and happiness shone in his mismatched eyes - but the guilt of it all seeped out of him. Two years of living a life he never dared to dream of; two years without pain nor sorrow; two years of blocking out the rest of the shinobi world as it crumbled away into a dark abyss... Throughout the myriad of developing and cherishing his bonds with his loved ones, he had neglected his duties to the rest of the world, putting his daughter and wife first. But in the process, the rest of the world had gone to ruins. Despite the Five Great Nations still entangled with each other as allies, tiptoeoing around each other as they played a game of politics, smaller nations and villages had began to sprout an increasing number of threats: S-rank bandits and assassins, inconspicuous gangs and many more outlaws had started to lurk in the darkest corners of the earth, each with a different motive. 

He knew what he had to do now, and it had been gnawing away at him for the last year. His happiness would have to be sacrificed for the the sake of the shinobi world. For the peace of his village. For the safety of his family. The knowledge that his absence would contribute towards Sarada's safety conflicted him. He had already missed out on so much the past two and a half months. The last letter Sakura had written to him two weeks ago was left scrunched up in his bruised hand. 

_My beloved Sasuke,_

_Do not fret, for I look forward to each letter you write. Each word, as few as they are, are a testament of your love for us, I am sure. I like to believe I have learnt to read your unspoken methods of communication throughout the years, and your lack of words on paper are no different._

_We are doing fine, my love. I have been inundated with night shifts, and it is those nights I seem to miss you the most. Do not fear for Sarada, for my parents are always delighted to have her, even for sleepovers. Tonight, however, I should be leaving her in the care of Hinata and Naruto. I only worry that she may pick up bad mannerisms from Naruto._

_This week I found Sarada has been fond of the little black cats that sometimes loiter around our home. I heard her pick out names for them, calling them "Sask" and "Tachi". When they frighten her with a hiss she has been shrieking back at them, "Shannaro". She really is a perfect mix of both of us._

_I look forward to your next letter, or if you should return to us before then, I look forward to see your perfect face once again._

_Take care, my love._

_Your wife, Sakura._

Sakura had been replying to each of Sasuke's letters he would have delivered to her weekly since he left that one fateful night. But it had been already two weeks since he had received and responded, with no reply back. Agony wrenched his heart, clasping it in its hands and crushing it. Different scenarios of why she had not responded had migrated into his mind, casting off any other thoughts, leaving him blind with anguish at his last enemy's attack. For all the time he had spent with his world-renowned medical ninja wife, and he had only learnt the basics of medical _ninjutsu_ on how to neutralise the effects of simple poison formulas. He cursed himself for his own ego which had prevented him from asking his wife on more of the basics.His accursed Uchiha ego and pride. That's what had led him to his downfall and unable to move a single muscle. 

He closed his eyes, and accepted that he would have to wait out the rest of the night, allowing sleep to be his healer. 

~ 

A child as young as summer grass ran home from the Academy - he had been training profusely, and night had already fallen. The full moon hung across the darkened sky, and he swore he saw a silhouette hunched over a pillar, spying down at him. Whatever he saw, it had vanished in a blink, causing him to doubt whether he had seen anything at all. The naive child ran along the cobblestones which always had welcomed him with such warmth; the cheery smiles of his uncles and aunts greeting him back home - but tonight was different. A chill ran along his spine, and goosebumps had sprouted out all over his arms. And that was when he saw it. 

He had witnessed this scene a thousand times, memorising the cold blood that had painted the bricks on either side of the road. He knew how this played out. The child screamed in horror as he darted over corpses of his clansmen, rushing to his home, praying that his parents had not reached the same fate. The child cautiously creaked the door open, his heart in his throat, praying, wishing, _hoping_... but no prayers would be answered, as he knew full well. 

His eyes fell across two figures slumped on the ground, a woman and her child. He barely had time to register that tonight, the ending of this horror that struck him had been altered. Blood leaked out of the two lifeless females, causing snakes of red to slither around the unlit room. All that the trembling child could make out was the pink hair tainted red. Looming over their corpses was an adult man staring at the child. Horrified onyx eyes found crimson red eyes that were patterned like venomous flowers. A spark of lightning still sparked in the man's left arm. _Blink._ And the helpless child fell to his knees, as the erratic pulsing of his heart was halted by lightning. 

He escaped his nightmares, coming to his senses as he found a glowing green over his mismatched eyes. The green haze of chakra enveloped slender hands which seemed all too familiar. 

"It's okay, Sasuke-kun." 

The ring of her voice was barely audible, but only one face came to mind at whose it belonged to. 

Maybe he was still trapped in a world of dreams. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've come this far, you deserve a medal. I'd be grateful if you could leave a comment.
> 
> You can also find me on Wattpad where I sometimes edit and update previous chapters (something which I don't always do on or on the other platforms I've published this), and it also has links to my AMV/s which inspired me to write this fanfic.


	14. Glow

The night had stretched out and eventually simmered away, in its wake lay the the flicker of light stretching out its hands over the the vast lands, blessing its inhabitants with another chance at life. Somewhere within a bountiful forest lay a man, recollecting his senses as a glow of green hovered over his eyes and chest as it also sent chakra throughout the rest of his body. As minutes ticked by, so did the bruises all over, healing with time until there was no trace left. 

Sasuke twitched his fingers, allowing his muscles to gain control of his movements before he pocketed the letter that he held. His arm came over his head, and tugged at a wrist that shielded his eyes from the world. But they wouldn't budge. 

"Is that you, Sakura?" He managed weakly. Although his body felt replenished, his throat still felt dry, and he figured that anything that would come out of his mouth would sound like a rasp. 

No response. He attempted to tug away at the wrist, feeling the cold touch of metal against his finger, but the hand he pulled was unrelenting. He heard a click of a tongue before, "Hold still, Sasuke-kun." 

He sighed. He brought his head up, forcing the hand over his eyes to pull away, and looked at the face of his saviour. She had an irritated expression on her face; her pink brows were furrowed together and the corner of her pink lips were angled downwards. But her eyes... the emerald green of her eyes stared at him with sympathy. How he had missed those eyes... His taste of spring. Seeing her now in front of him, after all this time, he feared it was a mirage of his own desires come to life to haunt him. Wherever he went, it mattered not that the plants swayed in motion to the beating of his own heart, or that the ripples of the rivers carried along fallen leaves like tears that had lost their way. To him, without her, a bountiful land was still barren. But she was here now, and the tears in his heart had stitched themselves back together. 

Her pink hair blew in front of her, and stole a touch from his face, bringing him back to his senses. Questions spurred around his mind, whizzing around, leaving him in a daze. But all he could muster was a raspy, "Sarada?" 

Her hands found him again, scanning his body with a green haze of chakra searching for anymore injuries. He cleared his throat, but before he could repeat himself, she answered him. 

"Sarada's fine, Sasuke. She's with my parents," she told him, her voice softening as she spoke his name. "It's so unlike you to be beaten this badly, Sasuke," she started to scold him. "Seriously, you're worse than Naruto. You should know better to plan ahead before going barging into a fight, which is what I imagine happened considering your injuries. Even Naruto's missions don't end this badly nowadays, since he's been studying for his Hokage position. Agh, you both drive me so mad sometimes-"

"Sakura," he interrupted. "Why are you here? Why are you not with Sarada? Has something happened to the Leaf?" He needed answers. And now. His anxieties had found something to latch onto and it was sucking him dry. 

She finished up her checks, her green chakra fading away. She looked at him. "I'm actually on a mission. I was in the area, looking for an eye specialist, when I heard you scream my name." He had no recollection of that last part, but she had started to answer his questions, and the pounding of his heart had dwindled down until it mimicked the beating of a steady drum.

She stood up, towering above him. She dusted off her white cloak, and held out a hand to Sasuke. He allowed her to pull him up, and he arched an eyebrow, whilst asking, "An eye specialist?"

She turned away from him and started walking away into an ocean of weeds. He gingerly followed her. "You know the one. Red hair, wears glasses?" 

"But why?" 

"I need her expertise to help create a vaccine." She stopped walking through the bushes and turned to look at her husband, her hair swaying behind her as she did. She lowered her voice to a whisper. "There's been an outbreak of a virus, one that none of us medics have ever dealt with before. Even Lady Tsunade, who came back a month ago, has never handled something like this in all her years. But right now, her and Shizune-sama are governing the hospital and the village. No one is allowed to leave the village without their authorisation. We haven't been able to send letters outside of the village in case carriers of the virus send more than just their letter, you know? That's why I haven't been able to write back to you. I really liked it, by the way. The red headband. Thank you, darling. And Sarada really likes her red shoes, she won't stop prancing around in them-"

"Sakura."

"Hm?"

"You're rambling again."

"Oh," she giggled, nervously. She rubbed her neck. "Sorry about that. 

"So about this virus," Sasuke quizzed. "Is it deadly? Is that why you're here?"

Sakura beckoned Sasuke to follow her, and showed him the list of herbs she was looking for. "No, no. It can't kill. It's just... It can cause blindness. We've figured that the symptoms are a high fever and migraines. Eventually the victims start to lose their sight, until they lose all sense of sight and give in to blindness. It's already happened to the three shinobi who came back from a mission. We suspect it was them who caught the virus. Oh! - Look. Yeah, just put that in here. Thanks, darling. - Anyway, there's been a lot of civilians who have complained about migraines, and the hospital can't take any more patients. So, that's -No, that won't do Sasuke-kun. It needs to have at least five petals, see? - That's why I need Karin. The research which I've done has indicated what ingredients are needed, but I need someone like Karin, who has worked for someone like Orochimaru, to give her input, as she's no doubt worked with all sorts of forbidden jutsus." 

Sasuke had been listening intently. It was at that last part that he grimaced. "Surely you and the Fifth can work together to come up with something. You really want to find Orochimaru?" 

"Huh? No, not Orochimaru. Anyway, I don't think I'd be comfortable seeing you in his presence. He's always had some weird crush on you."

"...Do you mean Karin?"

"I know what I said," she affirmed, he could hear the smile in her voice. 

He rolled his eyes at her hair that cascaded down like a pink waterfall and then continued to interrogate her. "Okay, but why you? Surely Tsunade or Shizune or someone else could have gone on this mission. You have a daughter to take care of. What was Kakashi thinking?" 

"That's exactly it. It's BECAUSE I have a daughter." Sasuke frowned at her back, not understanding. "I've been working in the hospital, so there's no telling if I'm a carrier of the virus or not. We've already had a few toddlers becoming blind, and it seems that the effects of the virus are worse the younger you are." 

Sasuke relaxed, knowing that Sarada's safety hadn't been compromised and was at the forefront of his wife's intentions, but still, the thought of his child not having either parent beside her still irked him. And there was also something else which she had said... "If that's the case, then isn't it a problem that you've been in contact with me?"

"Oh, that's not a problem," she said airily, whilst brushing her hands through the weeds searching for the right herbs. "That's because when I was healing you earlier, I incorporated some of the ointment I had produced for the virus. It's a prototype-"

"So what you're saying is that I'm your first test subject."

"Erm, yes... But hey! On the bright side, Karin will take a look at you soon enough, so it'll be fine." She winked at him. 

"And do you know where Karin is?"

She nibbled at her lip. "Mmm... She's not at the hideout where we last saw her... So, it's just lucky that I found you, hehe... Care to take me to her other hideouts?"

Sasuke slammed his palm into his face, and mumbled, "Seriously? What were you planning to do if you didn't by chance find me?" He slid his hand down his face and narrowed his eyes at her. "Did you really just find me by chance?" 

She broke her demeanour under his scrutiny. "Maybe I planned to find you-", she looked at his raised eyebrows. "Okay, yes. You were my last hope. Whatever." 

Her words held an undertone of unspoken feelings. Last hope. Did she miss him as he missed her? Was she pining for his love, like he was pining for hers? Did she crave for his touch, like he did? Did she miss his lips, like he dreamt about hers? 

His hands purposefully brushed over hers amongst the weeds, and his fingers crept under her cloak, searching her skin for her thoughts and feelings. Her goosebumps whispered back at him. He trace her toned arms all the way up to her shoulder. 

"Oi, Sakura," he said softly. 

She turned towards him, innocence raining in the summer of her eyes. "Hm?" 

In one fell swoop, he leaned in and crashed his lips onto hers. Her soft lips healed his worries, tending to his hidden wounds. His fingers gripped onto her shoulder, his nails digging into her dress. She was all he needed. She was all he ever needed... He could be with her like this for all eternity. The world could spin by into chaos, as long as he had her, nothing else mattered... 

He felt her hand on his chest, and he kissed her deeper. Ugh. She had shoved him off, and he found himself stumbling backwards. He fought to balance his feet. He looked at his wife strangely. "Is something wrong?" He asked, confusion plastering his words. 

"We're on a mission, Sasuke!" She chastised. 

"So? Can't a husband kiss his wife?" He composed himself and padded towards her, reaching out to stroke her tresses. 

She pulled his hand away and flushed. "Th-that was more than just a kiss, and you know it!" She stammered. "We can't get carried away. We can't let our emotions deter us during a mission. You know that better than anyone!" 

He smirked at her. "But haven't you missed me?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "Ugh, look we need to hurry. And we're not husband and wife right now, we're just two shinobis on two different missions. Although, I've helped you with your mission, so now you need to return the favour and help me."

He followed her movements up the tree, as they skipped from branch to branch. "What do you mean you 'helped me with my mission'? What do you know of my mission?" 

She smirked and held a fist up, one hand holding the other wrist. "Naruto and Kakashi-Sensei oh-so-kindly told me about your affair with all those S-rank ninjas that have been threatening the peace," her eyes twinkled at him with mischief. "And, of course, when I found you asleep screaming my name, I made sure to take care off the rest that were lurking around before I tended to you."

An air of amusement blew out of Sasuke's nostrils. Her abilities never failed to amaze him, it was just as well that he had never been on the receiving end of one of her deadly punches. 

"Don't ever say that," he said, after minutes of silence and rushing through a forest of trees. 

"Say what?"

"That we're not husband and wife." 

"Huh?" she asked, thinking back to their conversation. "...Oh my god! Can you just focus!" 

He smiled to himself. He really did miss teasing her. 

***

Cherry blossom and night tulips billowed in the breeze. It was sundown, and they had finally reached the third hideout that Sasuke surmised that Karin could be at. 

Sakura landed on the moistened dirt with a thud, letting her presence be known. Sasuke was more graceful, as his cloak blew behind him as he landed. 

"Right, we might have wasted a whole day. But on the plus side, we're closer to Konoha now, so if she's here it'll work in our favour." 

Sakura's uplifting spirits had always eased him, even now when it should be him comforting her, she was the one who took it on herself to also heal all the emotional baggage in their relationship - be it two shinobis, or spouses. 

Sasuke halted her movements with his hand in front of her. "I hear someone."

As quick as lightning, Sasuke grabbed Sakura by her waist just as a dozen kunais came raining down on them. He had flashed them onto a branch of a nearby tree and continued to hold her as she twisted and tied her hair into a bun in one swift movement. Sasuke was still surveying the area with his mismatched red and purple eyes, when he felt the the grip of his fingers loosen. Before he could even comprehend what had happened, he saw his wife dive down from the tree and strike a ferocious punch at their opponent, all the while yelling, "Shannaro!" 

He jumped down beside his wife to find a deformed brown haired middle aged man collapsed beside her feet. The man was still alive, but just barely. He hung onto life like a thread threatening to snap, his breath becoming more ragged until he slipped into unconsciousness. 

"What happened to making a plan?" He hissed at his wife.

"You were too concerned with protecting me! I saw an opening and I took it!" Sakura retorted back. 

"And what if there were more?"

"I'm sure you could take them, Sasuke," she said in a teasing manner, the corner of her lip curling upwards. 

"Tch. Of course," he replied, irritated. "But if they harmed you, I don't know what I would-"

"Sasuke," Sakura said, lightly touching his arm. "I'm not a damsel in distress. I'm not pregnant, or fragile in any way. And I'm no longer a helpless little girl. I can hold my own! You don't need to worry about me. If anything, we can watch each other's backs. But you don't need to hold back when you're with me! I know we haven't fought together many times but you should really have more faith in m-"

Sakura was interrupted with a voice so sharp it cut the air around them. "Trouble in paradise?" Both Uchiha's snapped their head towards the direction of the voice, leading towards a red-haired woman adorned in a new white blouse and black shorts, sported with knee-high boots. One hand rested on her waist, whilst the other adjusted her black glasses. 

"Karin!" Both Uchiha's spoke in unison. 

"I thought I recognised your chakras," Karin said. She walked over to them and poked the body on the floor with the toe of her sandal. "Well thanks to you two I can discard this failed experiment." 

Sasuke glared at Karin. "You're still experimenting on people?" His question dripped with venom and accusation. 

"Hey don't you glare at me, Sas-uke! Honestly, it's not the same type of experiments. That wood-style user sent me a heads up about this man. It turns out that he's been rummaging around spreading some weird type of virus using a forbidden jutsu, and I've been deployed with the responsibility of tracking him down and creating a cure. But right now there's been no luck." She let out a heavy sigh. 

"Oh, Karin!" Sakura called out. "Can you tell me anymore about this forbidden jutsu and the cure you created? I actually scouted you out for a similar reason. If I'm right, then the outbreak at Konoha was caused by this man..." 

Sasuke left Sakura and Karin to their conversation at exchanging intel, and picked up the deformed man as he followed the two women inside. The hideout was lit by colourful tubes of liquid all alongside the shelves on the walls. Scrolls were scattered all over the concrete floor. He was in the middle of reading the after effects of what different dojutsus can have on people who have suffered from blindness when he was called over by his wife from the other room. 

Karin started to ask Sasuke a series of questions concerning how he feels; whether he's had a change in body temperature or if he's had any headaches, whilst Sakura shone a mini flashlight in both of Sasuke's eyes. They continued their series of examinations before the two medics nodded at each other and shared some notes. They spoke a language with words and gestures that Sasuke didn't understand. When they were done Sakura sealed the ointments and vaccines amongst the other equipment and notes in a series of scrolls. 

"Although we won't be able to cure blindness, at least we can use the vaccine and jutsu formulas to prevent people from loss of sight of those who have early signs of the symptoms. Thank you, Karin," Sakura said with gratitude gracing every word. "Konoha will remember your efforts in helping us. I'll be sure to inform Hokage-sama." 

"Oh, stop with the formalities. It's only because it's you, Sakura," Karin said with a smile. "Anything for you and Sarada. Oh Sarada! How is she, that little cutie?" 

"She's two now," Sakura answered. "She's a really intelligent girl, as you'd expect of an Uchiha." Her eyes averted to her husband as she said this. 

"She inherited that from her mother, no doubt", Karin remarked. "Do you have a picture?" 

"Oh!" Sakura bounded over to Sasuke. "Yeah, I sent a few to Sasuke whilst he was on his mission..." she murmured as her hands fumbled into Sasuke's trouser pockets, searching for the letter and pictures. Sasuke stiffened at her touch, noting the way her fingers traced the lining of the corner of the pockets as she left a few sensual touches. She slid her hand out of his pocket and she bit her lip, looking at him with sultry eyes. He scowled at her, knowing she was playing with him in the presence of others when she had refused his touch in private. This damn woman. 

Sakura turned to Karin as if nothing had transpired between husband and wife, and showed her the pictures. "Here," she sang. "These were taken on our birthday trip." 

"She's so cute!" Karin marvelled at the pictures of Sarada and Sakura at the beach wearing matching swimsuits in one, and in another, Sakura was wearing a red bikini that made her eyes pop, and Sarada was grinning into the camera with a sky blue swimsuit as she squished a rubber duck. "Heh, wait. Why is Sasuke in none of these pictures?" 

Sakura's eyes dulled and creased to two slits. "My husband of mine detests his picture to be taken. He claims he'll be in his grave before he agrees to be in another photo. So that's why I get him to take as many pictures of me and Sarada." 

Karin leaned against her desk with a sly smirk draped across her face. "Oh is that so?" She asked smugly. She lowered her glasses and looked at Sasuke, her red eyes shining with seduction as she ogled him, drinking him in from head to toe. She brought the tip of her glasses to her lips and purred, "Well if you ever change your mind about married life, you know where to find me..." Sasuke frowned. This woman must have a death wish to be flirting with him in front of his monstrous wife. "...Sakura." 

Sakura burst out laughing and Karin cackled along. They're both mad. Sasuke's scowl deepened and he turned away, storming off. "If we're done here, let's go, Sakura." His voice was thunder, a layer of icicles trickled under his words with a threat.

"I think me and Sarada will take you up on that offer, Karin," Sakura giggled. 

Sasuke left his wife and waited outside. He had heard Karin call out to Sakura, leaving him waiting impatiently outside for a few minutes longer than necessary. When she finally came out to meet him, he threw daggers at her with his onyx eye. "What took you so long?" He hissed. He hated knowing that he was probably the subject of his wife's laughter and the smug look on her face. 

She brushed him off with a "Don't worry about it", as if there was some secret between her and their female accomplice. 

***

Soon after they left, Sakura had written a letter to Kakashi informing him of her whereabouts and that she had a vaccine ready. Night had already fallen when he edged closer to her in the bundle of trees that surrounded them. He grabbed her waist and dived down onto the meadow of tulips below them. 

"Sasuke! What are you-"

He silenced her with a kiss. She attempted to push him off but that trick wouldn't work the second time. He traced her hand with his, finding the gaps between her fingers, and locked themselves together. She had left him frustrated. So so frustrated. If she let him, he'll take her here and now under the glimmer of the crescent moon. He slowly parted from her lips, and spoke, his warm breath tickling her sore lips. 

"Sakura," he whispered huskily. "Can I...? Do you want to...?" He let go of her hand and traced her slight curves under her cloak. He hadn't noticed whilst he had been living with her everyday and every night, but he could now admire how she had regained her slim figure. When did she find the time to...? It didn't matter. His hands found her breasts and he squeezed them, her gasp sent shivers down his spine. 

"Sasu-ke...We can't...", she gasped. 

"Is that a no?" He whispered, his lips curling downwards. His hand slid back down and found her lower cheeks and pressed her body towards his. The sudden movenent caused her bundle of hair to fall loosely around her shoulders, some of the tips of her tresses found their way onto her husband's. "Tell me you missed me."

"Mmmm... Sasuke-kun... You know," She squealed. 

"Know what?" He probed, his breath tickling her ear. 

She scrunched up his shirt at the front, determined to fight what she knew was a losing battle, before giving in to her desires. She left kisses on his neck, and felt his coarse black hair against her face. He pushed her down, pressing her against the flowers, leaving colourful imprints on her white cloak. He used his own cloak to conceal their modesty from the night sky. He sang a melody of love into her ears, "I... I've been dreaming of you, Sakura. Every cell in my body has missed you... Let me show you, Sakura. Have you missed me? Tell me." 

She wouldn't give in to his requests so he continued to teach her what he had dreamed about what husbands and wives do in the glow of the dark, in the open air. When he had finished, he rested his mop of raven hair over her heart, listening to it. Wondering what it was saying to him. He imagined every beat was another confession tumbling out of her dainty pink lips. He imagined the fingers that traced his skin was another door of forgiveness, ready to embrace him. She heard her release a pleasant sigh, and he titled his head up, only to be greeted with a kiss on his hair. 

"Sakura."

"Hm?"

"Why won't you tell me? Why won't you tell me how you feel?" 

She chuckled, "Take it as a taste of your own medicine." 

"Tch." He lifted himself up from her and dressed himself. He was sitting up, buttoning his shirt when he was prevented from the last button by two slender hands circling his waist. He felt her head rest on his back as she murmured, "I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun. I love you, you know that. Words can't express how much I missed you. Please don't be mad at me, I wouldn't be able to bear it." She kissed his clothed back. 

He closed his eyes, relishing in her words of love, bathing in it. He almost forgot to tell her, "I'm not mad at you." 

They soaked themselves in more words and gestures of love, when he felt a peck on his head beneath his cloak. 

"Sakura," he said. 

"Hm?" She had her arms draped around his neck as she listened to his heartbeat with a smile gracing her lips. 

"I thought you said no one in Konoha can deliver letters."

"Yeah, that's right."

"Then why is one of the Hokage's hawks here?" 

"What?" She slid his arms off him and looked up at his spiralling sharingan. He uncovered themselves, and revealed how Uchiha's make love to a bird. The letter that was attached to the hawk made his eyes bleed and his wife cry out in fear. 

***

The roar of impending thunder drowned out the chirping of crickets that cried out songs of mourning. The curve sliver of the moon rolled back behind grey clouds until barely a glimpse of silver light blessed the earth. The sky broke open with a flash of lightning, and along came a wave of tears stumbling down from the bleak sky, rolling down the faces of young parents. Clear and red tears met together before painting the grass red. Red. That's all he could see. The colour of blood. The colour one sees before they meet the blackness of death, or the blackness of blindness... He wondered if his daughter would ever see the colours of spring that her and her mother emulated. Would she ever see the golden dust that daylight brings? Or would she only see black. At this moment, red transpired into purple and black as his rinnengan spiralled creating a black vortex for him and his wife to teleport through. 

His fear and rage formed into one and drowned out the growing fears of his wife which was tumbling out of her mouth. She was drumming her fists onto his chest, crying out words he could barely comprehend. She was screaming out how she couldn't lose them both, but that made no sense. His life had no value in comparison to his daughter's. Why would he want to live in a world without his two beacons of light? 

Within a few mere seconds they had landed in front of Konoha hospital. His wife ran ahead, but stopped and ran back when she realised her husband was writhing on the floor, grabbing onto his left eye that was oozing out red and yellow liquid that spread along the back of his hands. 

"Leave me, Sakura! Go to her!" He roared at his wife. 

But she wouldn't listen. She picked him up deftly and headed towards the hospital entrance, yelling out orders. He was forced into a bed and he heard his wife demand that her husband not be left unattended or allow him to leave the hospital bed. He heard a scurry of notes and scrolls be passed along and then footsteps receding as quick as he was forced onto the bed. 

A flash of light shone into his eye, blinding him for a mere second. 

Green haze of chakra. 

Screams. 

Blood. 

Tears. 

Nothing. 

He fought to regain consciousness, and bouldered past the medics, ignoring their protests. He followed the sounds of screams, stumbling at the doorway as he fought to catch his breath, before resuming. He blinked back tears and came face to face with a fountain of tears that washed over his sleeping angel. He forced his blurry vision to focus on the faucet of tears, his wife's creamy complexion had faded into white. She was a ghost of her former self. Her hands trembled as they hovered over their child's forehead. He stumbled over to her and placed his hand over hers, and lent her some of his chakra. The glow of green grew brighter. 

He struggled to string words together, but managed a weak, "Sarada?" 

Green eyes met his and she nodded. Her lips quivered. He didn't know what to make of that. His knees buckled under him and he came crashing down onto the tiled flooring. His hand found his heart and his breathing went wild. He was hyperventilating. More yelling and rushing of feet surrounded him. He spied a diamond seal in front of him, but the face was all wrong. Instead of spring, he found honey. Instead of cherry blossoms, he found hay. 

"He's stabilised!" Came the commanding voice of the blonde woman in front of him. He looked up to find the Fifth Hokage kneeling beside him. She smiled crookedly when she saw that he had regained his senses. 

"You old fool", she spoke. "Your daughter's just fine. I didn't waste my time teaching your wife for nothing. She's better than me, now, as hard as it is for me to admit." Tsunade pulled Sasuke up and plopped him into a chair, beside him was slumped a woman, candy floss hair shielding her face. "Sakura's exhausted, but she managed to cure the high fever before it damaged your daughter's eyesight. So you don't have to worry about a thing. I suggest you get some proper rest. You'll have a lot of work to do tomorrow taking care your two girls at home." And with that the Sannin left him with his family. 

He reached over, and found his wife's fingers which had fallen over her armrest. He held them, and leaned over, pressing light kisses on her fingertips, before taking the former Hokage's advice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Initially I has planned for this chapter to include explanations of how Sarada got into the situation she's in, but I figured if I don't stop now, this chapter will be too long.
> 
> What did you think of the turn of events? I'd love to hear your thoughts.


	15. Sundown

Their hands stay clasp together on the hospital armchairs as they sit beside their daughter, with only machinery and the tiled floors separating the distance between parents and child. He wakes every so often, wanting to be the one with tender eyes his wife first sees, the one to comfort her and to brush her tears away. But alas, it is her thumb he feels stroking his knuckles as he awakens to her touch. He wanted to be the first... but even there he has failed her. 

His groggy eyes meets her emerald; they have dulled and there are flecks of black mascara and grey eye bags that sit under her mesmerising irises. But he notices there is still a speck of flame burning in there, and it only grows slightly larger as she forces a smile at him. "Sasuke-kun..." she forced out of her lips, her voice restrained. "Sarada, she... she's okay. I'm sorry I made you worry." 

He adjusted himself in his seat so he could look at her properly, and squeezed her fingers. "No, I'm sorry, Sakura," he contested. "If I didn't... If I hadn't... If I had only listened, and not... We could have been in Konoha earlier, and it might not have become...-"

He blamed himself for wasting time for his own selfish desires. By tempting her to make love with him, they had lost sight of the mission. If he had only had his own emotions in check, then maybe they could have been by their daughter's side earlier. How could he have fallen so blind to lust?

"Don't," Sakura began. "Please don't regret loving me. And it's not your fault. There's no way you could have known. This whole situation had nothing to do with you, so you don't need to blame yourself." Sakura smiled reassuringly at him, and he knew it wasn't forced. "It's BECAUSE of you we were able to get here on time, even though you wouldn't listen to me tell you the risks of of a _dojutsu_ user activating their abilities so soon after they had caught the virus... You risked yourself for Sarada, and for that I can only thank you." Tears threatened to spill and her hand trembled as she brought his hand to her lips, showering him with gratitude. Her voice finally broke as she cried out, wavering, "I'm so indebted to you, Sasuke-kun. I thought I would lose one of you last night, if not both. I was so afraid, I-"

He hushed her by plopping himself off his seat, and standing over her as he awkwardly hugged her with his stump caressing her back. She teared up into his arm, leaving wet patches on his dark grey shirt. He hushed at her, "You don't need to say anything. She's fine now. We're fine." 

She used her own palms to wipe away her tears, before looking up at her husband, clearly exhausted. "I'm so sorry Sasuke-kun, I ruined your shirt. You should go home and change. Rest while you're at it-" She attempted to get up from her seat, intending to check up on her daughter and run a few tests if necessary "-I'll stay here and watch over Sarada-" But his hand slammed her back down onto her seat as he gripped her shoulder. 

"No," he stated, looking down at his wife, his brows threaded close together. "You go home."

"But-"

"No 'buts'. You need to rest. Don't worry, I'll stay with Sarada. If I notice anything I'll give the other doctors a call." 

She sighed, defeated. "As you wish. Thank you, darling." 

He watched her leave, leaving a kiss on their daughter's forehead on her way. 

He could still feel her lips on his jaw that she left as she had propelled herself up from her seat; it tingled him, warming him as if he had finally found a fire amidst a freezing tunnel. He stood over his daughter and stroked her stray hairs that had fallen over her eyelids, tucking it behind her ear. He lowered his lips to her forehead, and planted a soft kiss where his wife had left hers. The three of them were connected. Hearts that beat as one. Before he knew it, the angelic face that lay before him was once again shrouded in splotches of droplets. It took him a while to recognise that he was the culprit. He used one finger to brush his leaks away before using his sleeve to relieve his child from his fears. He never wanted her to face heartbreak like that. He wouldn't be able to bear it. His whole being shivered violently as he let out a straggly breath. He crouched down beside her, until his face was to her level, and whispered stories of his travels to her resting form. He continued to do so until his words tired him out, and he ran out of appropriate stories to tell a worn out two-year old. He rested his head perpendicular to hers, his protective arm cradling her head, as if threatening any other molecular threat to back away. 

That was how Sakura found them five hours later. The morning sun spread its light across the land, leaving its dwellers with glimmers of hope. She left a new dark grey shirt on the seat that had her husband's cloak draped across as she sat in the other, marvelling at her family. How did she become so lucky? He would often think the same. She sat there for quite some time, legs crossed over the other and one palm resting under her chin. She was stolen from her thoughts with a gentle knocking on the door. 

He jerked his head up and inclined his head towards the door, the arguing that had been brewing behind closed doors had erupted and had infiltrated the private hospital room. 

"I don't know how you got past reception, but you are NOT allowed to go see my daughter!"

A deep manly voice pleaded back, "Please, Sakura..."

A female voice accompanied his. "It was a mistake. We had only let her out of our sight for a couple of minutes-"

"DON'T YOU LIE TO ME! ESPECIALLY after last time. I can't believe you would prioritise your stupid drinking games over your granddaughter's safety! What kind of grandparents are you?!"

The female voice attempted to guilt-trip his wife, "Sakura-chan, don't do this to your old feeble parents. Just one look, just let us apologise to her. You don't want to leave your parents alone, do you? Break our hearts?"

"I'll break more than your hearts if you step any closer!"

The male voice attempted to bargain, "Look, we'll apologise and send our wishes, and we won't bother you again. Just this once, for your old man. Give us a chance to redeem ourselves."

"I've already given you a chance, remember? THIS was your chance! And you blew it! After the first time, I sent her off to stay with Naruto and Hinata, and you begged and pleaded and I relented. You told me my child needed family around her. And you're right. She does. NARUTO is family! Hell, he's more than family, more than either of you have ever been. And I'll say this once, don't you EVER. And I mean, EVER, come near me or my family again, or you'll wish you never made me!" 

And with a slam she heaved herself back inside the room. Her chest was rising up and down as her hand locked around the handle, violently shaking. 

Sasuke stood up and stepped towards Sakura. 

"Was that your parents? Is everything okay?" 

"They were just leaving," she seethed. 

His hand went towards the handle, attempting to pry it open but she swatted him away. 

"Sakura. Let me talk to them. Or at least you tell me what's going on."

"No. They won't bother us if they have any sense."

"Sakura," he tried again. "They're family, we can't just cut them out of our daughter's life."

She glared at her husband. "THEY are not our family any longer. My family is right in this room." She gestured towards himself and their child with her chin. He huffed. He wouldn't get anything out of her when she's worked up like this. 

He noticed the glow in her jade eyes fade away as she slumped onto the floor. Sasuke lowered himself beside her, waiting, listening. 

"I... I always told myself, if I ever became a parent, that I would never be like them..." Sakura inhaled sharply before continuing. Her words were slow as she spilled the cracks in her heart she had thought had been erased. "I just... always wanted to know how it felt to be accepted for who I am. I just wanted them to support my decision to join the Academy as a child...I just wanted to be accepted and acknowledged by a loved one. Ino taught me it was possible, back then. And then, and then I met you." She looked up at him and smiled wryly. "But you probably don't remember..." She looked back down to her hands that had fallen over her knees. Her own words had cast her away into a journal full of broken memories and feelings that had been harboured at the bottom of a dusty old cupboard like crooked stitches that barely linked together. "My parents, they, they've always just made it so difficult to be around them. I've just grown up resenting them. And I know I sound ungrateful, and that's why I've never told you before but their drinking just made it that much worse. They only started paying attention to me once I had made a name for myself. And even though I felt like my relationship with them was broken beyond repair, I still wanted to make an effort. For your sake. And then Sarada's. I know how important family is to you. And I didn't want Sarada to grow up feeling she's missing out on family, but having no family must be better than having toxic family that you can't stand..." 

Sasuke watched droplets fall on white leggings and held his wife's hands. His mind flickered back to his elder brother's strained relationship with their father, and his own relationship where he had only wanted acknowledgement but was mostly brushed over. His thoughts then diverted to how he was tormented for so long by his elder brother, Itachi, and that the only love he had understood explicitly from his immediate family was from his gentle mother. Although he couldn't find it in himself to agree with his wife's feelings about family ties, he knew the feeling of vulnerability. She was glass beneath his skin. Over the years she had built walls of glass around her most fragile parts, claiming she was durable and posing a front to the world... but glass was glass after all. No matter how many layers, glass is breakable. And she lay here shattered. Sasuke decided to put aside his own personal feelings about the topic and leave them at the deck, whilst he turned his attention to the sail and worked it so it went against neither the currents nor the wind that guided him along. He would be here for his wife when she needed him the most, and he would sail this ship until they reached the sure-footing of the shore. 

His touch against hers brought her back to reality. She brought her trembling hands to her face and Sasuke noticed how her eyes widened and her mouth fell agape. 

"That was so insensitive of me," she rushed out, panic spreading across her face. "I shouldn't have- I'm sorry. I didn't mean..." She bit her lip and stole a glance through her curtain of hair which had fallen over her glassy eyes. "You must really hate me..." 

He brought his fingers to her fallen locks and brushed them aside so he could see green again. "I don't," was all he said. It was only half a lie, sure he didn't hate _his wife_ , he couldn't even if he tried. But her words had left a bittersweet taste in his mouth.

He brought himself up and walked away towards the hospital bed. He turned around to look at his wife, signalling for her to join him. Her eyes brightened as she understood, and she picked herself up and slowly made her way to stand by his side. He found her fingers and held them, rubbing them with his thumb in comfort. "Family, huh?" He mused. "You gave that back to me. So thank you." 

"I also got you a new shirt", she quipped, indicating that her husband's lack of words had worked their magic. 

His onyx eye averted to her slim figure, and air passed through his nose as a small smile broke across his face. "Ah," he said. "Thanks." 

***

It was midday when the fruition of their love stirred. Before she could even peel her eyes open, a single word tumbled out of her lips. "Papa..." She pressed her eyes open as she heard two pairs of footsteps rushing towards her. "Papa! Mama! Papa is hom. Papa is hom. Welcome hom Papa and Mama. Papa and Mama I misst you. Mama. Mama." She was waving her arms at her parents and only stopped talking when Papa picked her up. She tugged at his raven hair in front of him and pulled it away so she was staring at purple spirals. "Ooh," she cooed. 

"Does it scare you?" He asked softly. 

"No, not scary," she replied in a hushed whisper, clearly mesmerised. "I'm not _scared._ Papa eye pretty. I want a purple eye. Mama, I want a purple eye, please Mama. Sarada will be a good girl if you give purple eye. MAMA!" 

Sasuke looked at his wife with a raised eyebrow, almost as if asking _What's gotten into her?_

A sweat drop slid over Sakura's head as she raised her palms out in protest. "Oh, Sarada... You really missed your Papa, hmm? How about we go home and you can show him all the purple and red eyes you've drawn? I think Papa will like that." She mouthed a 'sorry' to Sasuke.

Sarada grabbed Sasuke's face and pulled him into a hug, and kissed his forehead. "Yes yes yes! I love you, Papa! Mama alray say she loves Papa and Papa lubs me, and I lub Papa too," she screeched into his hair. "I show Papa new wed shoes. Wed. I love colour wed." 

"Papa does love you," he murmured. "Can you let go now?" 

"Only if you pwomise to be horsey!" 

"Fine," he said. 

She squealed in delight. 

Sasuke balanced Sarada behind his neck, once she had let go of his head and made his way out. 

"You two go on ahead," Mama said. "I just need to sign some paperwork and I'll meet you guys by the ice-cream shop, how does that sound?"

"Hn." 

Sarada scrunched up Papa's hair as she squealed once more, "Ice-cream! You're da best, Mama! Love you." 

"I love you too, Sarada," Mama smiled. 

The sun shone down on father and child, gracing ever being with its heavenly touch. The birds chirped away, tittering about how the wind had blown the most favourable seeds their way. The bees buzzed, humming love stories between folds of petals. And humans walked, their shoes tapping onto pebbles, singing merry songs. A raven haired man with a smaller, female version of himself over his shoulders stopped at a _yakisoba_ stall. The broth of the noodles bubbled up amidst the heat of the cooker. 

"Papaaaa!" Sarada whined. "This not ice-cream. Ice-cream over there!" Sarada pointed down the street towards a white shop decorated with pictures of ice-cream flavours. 

"We need to get lunch first," Sasuke explained. "You must be starving." Sarada's stomach spoke up in cue, and she flushed a light red. 

"No! Mama said ice-cream!"

"Tch. I think I know what my wife meant, Sarada. We're getting lunch first. Your mother's a doctor, even she wouldn't suggest desserts before a main meal."

Sarada growled into Papa's hair. 

"Fine, Papa! But I don't want wed squishy tomatoes. That's yucky." Sweat dripped from Sasuke's deadpanned face, it was unfortunate that his daughter didn't inherit his love for tomatoes, but had instead inherited her mother's love for sweets. 

*** 

He had everything. He was once a boy was born into everything, but then lost it all. Indeed, he had even lost his way. A stream of golden light had flashed before him and shone, showing him the way. Spring fluttered around him even in the coldest winters as he searched for the same light within himself. Once he had, the same stream of light called out to him, but this time it glistened with a new hope. A hope for daylight to also soothe him. And that was where he found her. And she had given him everything again. He sat on the sofa as he watched Sarada rummage through her drawings, looking for her best work to show her Papa. Her Mama rested her pink hair on Papa's lap, stroking his cheek as she looked up at him. 

"Hm?" His gaze flickered from daughter to wife. 

"I love you, darling," she said. 

It didn't matter how many times she told him, it would always feel like the first time: like the world had stopped altogether with those three words and he would abandon everything else just to be with her. Like his whole body threatened to react to her words, and he needed a way to fight her waves of endearment with something sinister. Like if he wasn't careful, then he would melt into her, even it was sundown. 

"Yeah," he responded. _I know. Thank you._

She lifted her head up from him, and moved her hand from his cheek. He was disappointed by her sudden absence, already missing the tenderness of her touch until she repositioned herself so that she was sitting next to him, her hand grazing his knee. He noticed the light shade of pink that sat on her cheeks as she leaned closer to him, her lips almost brushing against his. 

He immediately got up from his seat to avoid the contact, but her hands tugged on his one good arm. A pout had appeared on her beautiful face. "Love me, then", she pouted. 

"I'm not going to kiss you... not in front of anyone. So don't even ask," he said. 

A pink brow lifted skywards. "Not even in front of your daughter?" 

" _Especially_ not in front of her," he warned. 

She giggled, "Oh, Sasuke. And what about when she asks about my first kiss? You know young girls wonder about those types of things."

He contemplated this for a moment, eyeing his daughter, wondering if his wife's words held any truth to them. "I guess you'll just have to figure it out. But you don't tell her about us kissing. That's embarrassing," he grumbled. He turned towards his wife and released his arm from her grip, elongating it towards her diamond seal with a touch of two fingers. 

"Next time," he smirked. 

He padded towards his daughter and sat beside her. She grinned up at him as she told him of what each colourful scribble was. He stroked her hair lovingly, and hummed and nodded at all the right moments. A spark of serenity ignited in him; he really loved his little family. 

***

It was sundown when he took his daughter up to her room and placed her in her cot. He sat in the green armchair as his wife leaned against the door frame. 

"So," she purred. "She's not sleeping with us tonight?" She raised a brow suggestively and her lips twisted upwards. 

"I'll put her to sleep," he said, averting her flirtations. "I'll meet you in bed in a bit." 

Sakura walked over to the cot and planted a kiss on Sarada's cheek. " Goodnight, Sarada." And she left them to it. 

"Wait!" Sarada wailed. "Papa, I want you to tell me a stowy." 

"Which one?" 

"Hmm," she thought, one finger on her chin as she mirrored her mother's habit. "A story about you and Uncle Itachi, and 'nother about the boy who followed a light that changed into a fox and took him to find a pink pwincess." 

Sasuke sighed. "Sarada, you know you can only choose one." 

Sarada's lower lip stuck out until it formed a pout. "Uncle Naruto right. Papa no fun," she jibed. "Okay tell me about the boy." 

She hung onto every word he said, fighting sleep as she clutched onto her teddy. Her eyes glimmered under the light of the lamp. He had just gotten to her favourite part about the pink princess - it didn't matter where she went, be it the snowy mountains or the the darkest caves: it was always spring; a touch of magic, of sorts. Sarada struggled to hide her yawn but her father's piercing eyes could see through everything. "Right, that's enough for tonight." 

"No, please!" She pleaded. "You didn't finish. Papa!"

"Tomorrow," he promised. He kissed her on the brow and waited for her to give in to sleep before taking his leave. 

He found Sakura lying on his side of the bed on the right in a satin pink nightdress reading a book about the properties of different medicinal herbs 

He sat beside her. "You know you're on my spot," he pointed out. 

She put her book down and placed it on the night stand. "Claim it then. You're just going to have to lie on me," she said, airily. "I mean, that is what's going to happen, right, Sasuke?" 

"...No. I wanted to talk to you. About a couple of things," he clarified his intentions. 

"Hmm, I think I might agree with Sarada. Naruto IS right. You are no fun," she pouted. 

He ignored her comment. "Sarada's been acting...really strange. It's clear a lot of things have happened whilst I've been away." His brows knitted together. "Why didn't you mention anything in any of your letters?" 

Sakura sighed. "I didn't want to worry you. She's been having a lot of... 'daddy' issues, you know? She's missed you a lot, and I don't think it helped that I've been occupied at the hospital, or on my mission, either." 

Sasuke thought this over. The thought of his daughter feeling abandoned, neglected... it hurt him. He hoped she knew how much he loved her, even if he found it difficult to express. He knew that Sakura helped to fill the void, telling their daughter about his love for them, and he only hoped his daughter understood. 

He looked back at his wife, his _sharingan_ activated as he asked, "And what about you? Do you have 'daddy' issues?" _Have you missed me?_

Her saying it once wasn't enough. He needed to hear her words again, it was his oxygen. 

"Eh?!" Her face flushed a deep red. "When did you learn to speak like that?!" 

"Kakashi." He said it like it was obvious. "In one of his letters, he attached a few pages of those disgusting erotic novels of his. I burned it after I read it, of course." 

She buried her reddened face in her hands. "Sensei is such a pervert..." She muttered. "I'm sorry you had to go through that." 

"To be fair, if it wasn't for him I wouldn't have had those dreams about you." The corner of his lip curled upwards as he watched her reaction unfold. 

"Huh?!" She had snapped her head out of her hands and stared at her husband. "You're not helping, Sasuke-kun... I'd put Hokage-sama straight, but I don't think I could look him in the eyes ever again." Her head flopped as she hung it in shame. 

Sasuke's face grew serious again. There were still other concerns tugging at his mind. "Sakura," he said, lifting her chin up to face him. "Your parents. What happened?" 

Her eyes wandered around the room, trying to find an escape route, but alas, her husband entranced her and attracted her attention. There was no escaping. She nibbled at her lip as she struggled to meet his red eye. "Okay, I'll try not to... 'ramble'. Just the facts," she promised. Her fingers found the tips of pink as she twirled it around her fingers. "A few weeks back, Sarada stayed with them whilst I was on a night shift. When I had returned home the next morning, I found the front door cracked. Thankfully we weren't robbed, but when I came to our room I found Sarada asleep on our bed. It turns out she's managed to fuse her chakra in her fists... Sorry, I'm getting side-tracked, aren't I? Anyway, I confronted _them_ later that evening but they were still piss drunk. And that was why Sarada stayed with Naruto and Hinata during my next night shift.

"When Hinata came for her pregnancy check-up she let slip that my pare- _they_ had been pestering Hinata. So I went to have a word with them. Things might have gotten a bit out of hand... but Naruto saved the day as always. He mediated between us. He'll really make a great Hokage. -Oops, I'm doing it again, aren't I? - So thanks to Naruto, we reconciled and I let them have her. They were doing a great job actually, taking her to the parks, meeting up with Boruto and Inojin. I would have loved for Sarada to grow up having a healthy relationship with her grandparents, but this last incident was the last straw. She could have lost her sight for good, Sasuke! I won't let them near her again," she finished. 

Sasuke had been listening intently. He wouldn't argue with his wife's decisions. They were _her_ parents after all, and they had let her down, worse still, they had jeopardised their grandchild's safety. He wouldn't risk his daughter's safety just to attempt at forging bonds with his in-laws. 

"And do you know about how Sarada caught the virus?" He asked. 

"Yes. I went to visit Hokage-sama after I showered this morning. It turns out a few civilians had spotted her alone outside of their houses. During a lockdown! Apparently she had been wandering around the village calling out 'Papa' and 'Mama' for a couple of hours. By the time someone had reported it to Kakashi-Sensei, her eyes had dilated, indicating that she had been having a series of headaches. When Shizune-sama had been monitoring her at the hospital, she found that Sarada had a high fever... I'm so glad I found you when I did, Sasuke. If I hadn't, then..." Her voice trailed off and her hands trembled. It was at that moment that he cast her into a _genjutsu_ and calmed her down, showing her his memories of Sarada that promised the future would only be brighter. When he was sure she had calmed down, he broke off the _genjutsu_ and let his _sharingan_ spiral back into onyx. 

"Thank you, darling...", she whispered. 

Her words gave him the confidence for him to bring his hand to her left foot and massage it. Pressing down on it in all the right places, allowing a satisfying sigh to escape her perfect lips. 

"Sakura," he said, regaining her attention. "Who will look after Sarada when we're both occupied with our duties?" 

"Don't worry, darling, I've already thought about that," she replied. "I know Hinata will insist on looking after Sarada, but honestly, that girl is too kind for her own good. She's seven months pregnant so I won't allow her to. If she asks again, I'm just going to threaten Naruto, I know he's scared of me. But Ino came by earlier to the house and she agreed she'll take care of Sarada. Apparently Choji suggested too, but I'll have to see if Karui is okay with that."

"Hn," was all Sasuke said. His wife had dealt with all of this on her own, and he admired her for that. She was strong in so many ways, and he loved her for it. 

"There's something else that's been bothering me, Sakura."

"What is it?"

"When we met up with Karin, I read in a scroll that activating certain _dojutsus_ can have adverse effects on a person who's immune system has been weakened by a virus that effects the optical nerves, even if they've been cured from it. You pretty much said the same thing. And what happened to me after I used my _rinnengan_ only proved that to be true... So, I was wondering, if Sarada ever activates the _sharingan_ would... Would there be any complications?" His eyes narrowed. 

Sakura leaned over and held her husband's arm and shone a reassuring smile at him. "She would only suffer complications if she were to activate her _sharingan_ any time soon. Which I don't think will be the case. So you don't have to worry, Sasuke-kun. Although..." Her smile slipped away, and in it's place her lips puckered upwards as a finger sat on her chin. "We still need to do more research into this, but from what me and Karin concluded is that if someone else uses a _dojutsu_ on someone who's suffered from the virus quite soon after - we're not sure on the timescale, just yet - then the symptoms may surface again. But we still need to run a few more tests to be sure. But even then, Sarada will be okay, as I'm sure you won't use your _sharingan_ on her, and neither will she be going on any missions for another decade." 

She rubbed his shoulder to console him, relieving him of any doubts that still lingered. 

"And another thing," she continued. "Whilst we were with Sarada last night, Shizune and the rest of the medic team have been using the vaccines, ointments, and _jutsu_ formulas on everyone in the village and from what I've heard it's been a success. That's why as you guys saw this morning, lockdown had been lifted. Karin, Orochimaru and Captain Yamato should be rewarded with a huge sum of money soon for helping Konoha." Sakura stretched her arms above her head and cracked her neck on both sides. 

"Okay, are we done with the talking now?" She asked bluntly. "Are you going to fuck me or not?" 

Her bluntness caught Sasuke by surprise. Despite her rational comfort of words, guilt still shrouded him. He still felt that by letting his desires consume him, he had failed his family. "I'd rather not," he retorted. 

Sakura was taken aback. "Seriously? Let me guess, 'next time'?" 

He turned his head away to hide his smirk. He leaned back, and let his head fall to the covers of the bed, so he lay perpendicular to her lower body. He saw the quizzical look on his wife's face, and then flashed a purple gleam of his _rinnengan_ with her. He had swapped their places. 

He looked up at the ceiling and said, "I don't mind if you take the reigns though." 

A few gasps later, he found himself looking at swirls of pink and pools of green. Soft lips matched his own, and he escaped into an ethereal illusion of his own. Except it wasn't an illusion. She was right here, draped across him, leaving her delicate touches all over him. Undressing him one moment, and the next he was clothed in only her. Her hair. Her scent. Her love. She uttered his name, a hushed whisper, and then louder. Louder. He peeled his eyes open from bliss and clamped his hand over her mouth. "What have I told you about not waking Sarada up? Shut up," he hissed. But to his unfortunate arousal, his aggressive behaviour only seemed to send her into another galaxy of euphoria. He found other ways to shut her up. 

Once the deed was the done, they lay panting together, side by side. She had fallen onto her side of the mattress, and he ran his fingers lightly over her smooth skin. "Sakura," he panted, her name rolling off his tongue seamlessly, sending flutters all over her body. "Thank you for everything." 

She murmured something inaudible, but he swore he heard the word 'love'. He kissed her on the shoulder and stole himself away into a much needed shower. The water may have washed away bodily fluids, but the scent of romance still remained. He concealed himself in the only bathrobe he found and made his way to the kitchen to make dinner for him and his wife, as Sarada had already been fed. 

He opened the fridge to see what his wife had stored away whilst he's been away, and took out a few ingredients. It was only when he closed the fridge that he noticed it. Underneath a magnet rested an old picture which he hadn't seen for a couple of years. It was of Team Taka: he was cloaked in the infamous Akatsuki robes and a scowl that could kill, and surrounding him was his old team; a flustered Karin, a smug Suigestu, and a cool and composed Jugo, He frowned at the picture, wondering how it had ended up in his humble abode. The memories of himself back then sometimes still haunted him when he was on his missions. He was stolen from his thoughts when an arm encircled his waist. 

"Sasuke-kun," she hummed into his back. "I was wondering what had happened to my new bathrobe. You really do look pretty in pink," she giggled. 

"Sakura," he greeted, acknowledging her presence. "Where did you get this?" 

She peeled herself away from him and looked over to what he was staring at.

"Oh! Karin gave it to me. She told me I should have it as you hate having your photo taken. Which is evident by that scowl," she teased. 

Sasuke turned his gaze away from the insulting photo and peeked at his wife stood beside him. He was amused to find that her modesty was covered with a white towel that barely hid much. 

"I don't want Sarada to see this. You need to throw it away or put it somewhere safe. Or I will." 

"Huh? But why?" She whined. "But you look so _handsome_."

Sasuke used his _rinnengan_ to swap places with his wife so that she was cloaked in her bathrobe, and he had the towel encased around his lower body. She blinked in surprise. "Wow." 

"Sakura, I wasn't in my right mind then. I was an international criminal. I thought we agreed that none of the new generation of kids would learn about that. Especially our own daughter. I don't want her getting ideas into her head or anything. She might already be a target when she enrols at school for being an Uchiha, she doesn't need the burden of knowing that her father was once a-"

"Sasuke," Sakura comforted, as she swirled his name around her tongue. "It's okay. You don't have to worry. If you really feel that strongly about it, I can use this picture and put it behind mine and Sarada's in that frame Ino got me for my birthday. That way only you will be shown, and not your crimes - which you've redeemed yourself from, by the way. How does that sound?" 

He contemplated her suggestion for a moment, before agreeing. "Hn. We could do that." 

She smiled at him and looked at the food he had produced from the fridge. "Right, so I'm guessing we're having rice balls with tomatoes?" She clamped her hands together. 

"Yeah," he said with a smile. "Read a book or something. I'll call you when it's done." 

"Oh my, is Sasuke Uchiha spoiling me?" She fluttered her eyelashes at him and gestured her hands around dramatically. 

"It's no different to anything I've ever done before. Quit being so dramatic," he responded in a dull tone whilst washing the tomatoes. 

She stood on her tiptoes and pecked his cheek before nudging him, whispering, "I know you love it, really." She winked and ran upstairs, light on her feet. 

The moon hung in the sky, gracing the Uchiha's with light, leaving promises of the breaking of dawn. The only sound that could be heard was the hooting of owls outside, and the frying of the pan that sizzled away. Him and his wife had restored peace to their small family, and his heart recited a steady rhythm of poetry. Life was good. What could go wrong? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is one that I've been planning for a looooong time. Let's hope I do it justice. 
> 
> Please leave a comment. Is there any way I could improve?


	16. Spark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Turns out this isn't the long awaited chapter I've been waiting to write. ...Maybe next time?

The stillness of the night is captured by two foreheads touching, and tips of noses nestled against each other. Hands are interlocked whilst an air of love clouds them, so much so that it even radiates from the neighbouring room where a child sleeps soundlessly. Hearts are connected, and so are dreams. In one, a child sits in the lap of her father whilst her mother watches, her smile gleaming down on them like the sun. In another, a wife waters tomato plants whilst her husband smiles fondly at her, their daughter sitting on his lap. Lastly, a husband tells stories of his wife to their daughter, as she holds a cherry blossom; he can feel his wife's smile blessing them with her presence. Dawn breaks out into the sky, and the earth is glittered with tints of pink and orange. The blue sky is grateful for being painted in such bright colours, even if it can only meet the other colours with the flow of time, as short as it may allow. A choir of birds tweet their good mornings to the tranquil world, and a woman lazily stirs as her beloved kisses her lips. 

"Are you going tonight?" The woman asks with a yawn, as her hand unclasps from her husband's and begins it's ritual stretch. 

"No. Not tonight. I heard a ferocious woman took care of the area I was manning," the smirk was evident in his voice. 

"Hmm. I wish I could meet that woman and thank her for allowing me to spend some precious time with my husband," she responds. 

A soft chuckle can be heard from the right side of the bed. 

There is movement under the blankets, and it can only be presumed that one leg bends over another, if nothing else. Satisfied sighs and moans can be heard if you listened closely, otherwise, the only sound that is clearly evident is made by the shuffling of sheets. 

A few more moments pass before the man sits up and stares down lovingly at the woman lying beside him. "Today my duties will be to my wife and daughter," he announces with conviction. 

"And tomorrow?" comes the response. 

"Tomorrow..." His voice falters. 

The woman sits up and stares at her husband, her hand caresses his perfectly chiselled face. "You'll have to leave again won't you?" 

He struggles to meet the green pool that lays before him, his eyes instead averting towards her other slender hands resting against the blanket. 

"It's okay, Sasuke-kun," she assures him, voice soft as her skin. "As long as you come back to us. It's okay." 

And that is enough for him to take the hand that holds him and kiss into it, whilst matching her glance. She is always enough. 

***

He regains his duties as a house-husband, if only for a day. He accompanies his wife to cook up breakfast, and then takes on the responsibility to do the laundry when she swats him away. His new name is heard from upstairs, and he follows the cries to find his daughter standing up in her cot, her raven mane spiked up at the back. 

"Papa is here, Sarada," he soothes his daughter. "Let's get you washed." 

Freshly bathed and newly clothed, he holds smaller hands as he brings his offspring down the stairs to eat with her mother. 

"Mama?," their daughter asks, avoiding the spoonful of food her Papa is holding out to her. "Are you going doctors?" 

"Oh, no, honey," the mother responds. "I won't be at the hospital today. Lady Tsunade insisted I take the rest of the week off. So I can be home with you and Papa today. Is there anything you'd like to do?" 

"Yes!" the child shrieked in excitement. "I want..." She pushed her father's hands out of her line of sight as she thought deeply about what she desired. "I want a baby!"

A metal spoon clanks onto the table as the father is left stunned. Her mother freezes in place, stammering, "W-What did you say, dear?"

"A baby!" Sarada repeated with more enthusiasm. "Boruto said his Mama is having baby. I want _my_ Mama to have a baby. Plea-ea-ea-se?" 

Sasuke blinks a few times, coming back to his senses. He decides to stop attempting at feeding his child and instead opts to take a few gulps of water. 

Sakura looks dazed for a moment, before she composes herself and takes charge of the situation, realising that her husband is as stunned as she was. "Well... you see, Sarada. That's quite... complicated."

"But why, Mama?"

Sakura looks around the room before making eye contact with her child again. "To me and your Papa, you _are_ our baby. So there's no reason to have another one." 

Sarada considered this for a moment, a finger under her chin as her lips twisted together. 

"I see... But Boruto said his Papa stay hom buh-cos new baby coming. If I am baby, why Papa leave me?" 

Sasuke felt as if his heart constricted. Everything went blank except for his daughter's words ringing in his ear. It was like the toll of a bell that wouldn't stop. _If I am baby, why Papa leave me? Why Papa leave me? Why Papa... Papa leave me? Papa leave... Leave me?_ As if far off into the distance, he thought he heard his wife yelp. He was able to see colour again when he heard his wife address him, "Sasuke-kun, you love our Sarada, don't you?" He blinked again and could see pastel coloured hair mixed with black as his wife had embraced Sarada into a hug. 

His lips still felt dry despite the amount of water he had drank. He licked his lips again. "Ah," he managed. "Yes." He closed his eyes and then closed the distance. He brought his chair closer to his daughter's and wrapped his arm around his wife and daughter. He murmured into soft pink and black locks, "I had to leave to keep you safe, Sarada. I'm sorry." He was unsure if she understood or even heard, but he pulled away when he heard. "Papa, Mama. You're squishing me." 

Sakura apologised and returned to her seat opposite the table. 

Sasuke picked up the metal spoon he had dropped and brought it to his child's mouth. Once she had swallowed, he reminded her, "Sarada, Sakura asked you if you wanted to do anything today. Tell me and we'll do it." 

She looked at her father's onyx eye, and then reached out and parted his hair, cooing at his purple eye. She said in a hushed whisper, as if a secret between the two, "I want Mama and Papa to show me jusu." 

Sasuke looked at his wife, and she nodded. "Sure, Sarada. We can show you some of our _jutsus_ ,"Sakura approved. "But we don't want you trying to copy us, okay? Can you promise us that?"

"Yes, Mama." 

His daughter had made her wish known, and as her father, he would grant it. 

The rest of the morning consisted of playing board games, drawing and reading books. It was after lunch that the Uchiha family finally made their way towards the training ground that held precious memories. Sasuke displayed a small ember of a fire ball _jutsu,_ and Sakura demonstrated how to heal people. Sarada watched her parents in awe. Sakura then transformed into a Sasuke who shone a dashing smile, earning fits of giggles from Sarada. Sarada then pestered both of her parents to transform into different people from the village from 'Hokage Kashi' to 'Uncle Naruto' and even 'Auntie Temari'. Her laughter tired herself out until she found herself dozing off into Papa's lap. 

Sasuke stroked his daughters hair, and looked at the mother of his child. Her smile was as bright as the sun, and it warmed every inch of him. He would do anything to ensure that smile stayed plastered onto her face. 

"Sakura," he uttered, the syllables rolling of his tongue like a lost lullaby. "I was thinking... I want to learn to heal." It took every bit of him to muster the courage to admit that: that he needed her expansive knowledge. 

"Oh, I was actually thinking the same thing," Sakura admitted. "I think it would be good for you to learn some more basics as I won't always be there to help you on your missions. Especially if you'll be gone for months at a time. That way you also don't have to worry about finding a local hospital or using your remaining chakra to teleport back to me with your _rinn_ -"

"No," Sasuke interrupted before she could go on. "I want you to teach me in case something ever happens to you. Or to Sarada, and you're not available." 

Sakura flushed a deep red. "Th-that - I-I don't think it'll ever come to that," she stammered out. 

"Still. You're always saying how I should be more careful. This is me being careful," Sasuke explained. 

"Okay, if you insist...But in return, I want _you_ to teach me something," Sakura bargained. 

Sasuke perked up a brow. "What... do you want me to teach you?" he asked slowly. 

"Hmm, how about the fire style _jutsu_? I think it'll be good practice for when you have to teach Sarada in the future, don't you think?" Her words sent him into a daydream. He thought about an older Sarada. She may have awakened the _sharingan_ by then, or not, if fate had been kind to her. She would probably resemble more of himself, but he imagined she would carry herself like her mother, and probably wear Sakura's _genin_ clothes if not something similar. He imagined teaching an 8-year old Sarada fire style _jutsu_ like his own father had once, albeit being more compassionate with her. 

"Well?" Sakura pressed. 

"Sure," Sasuke agreed. 

Sakura brought out a blanket and pillow from Sarada's baby bag she carried around with her, and wrapped Sarada in it as both parents spent the rest of the afternoon teaching each other the basics of their dexterity. Sasuke took it upon himself to heal the burn marks that were etched around Sakura's lips. He was drawn to her lips as he focused his chakra onto her, fingers almost grazing them as he did. He knew she could feel the intensity of his stare as a rose tint formed on her cheeks. 

"That's enough, Sasuke-kun," she whispered to him. "You've really got the hang of this."

"Are you sure?" he asked, as the green glow of chakra started to fade away from his fingertips. He allowed one finger to gently brush her lips. 

"Y-yes," she squeaked, flustered. 

"So it'll be okay if I do this?" He held her face and leaned in and checked for bruising and burns with his own lips. He heard a small whimper escape her rosy lips. He felt one of her hands snake around his head until it tugged at the ends of his hair, and the other draw circles around his stump just above his sleeve. He was drawn to her like opposing magnets that attract only each other; like a freezing man starved of warmth who finally finds a burning fire. If he had meant to be the healer, why did it still feel like it was her who was doing the healing? Their tongues tangled together in a passionate dance of dominance which he was clearly winning. His hand snaked up towards the back of her own head, and he pulled her deeper into the kiss. He had almost lost all of his other senses. Almost. 

His ears twitched at the slight sound of blankets ruffling against grass and a tiny yawn erupt, and he immediately jumped away and landed far away from Sakura as possible, whilst still being in the line of sight of his daughter who was rubbing her eyes. Sakura stood where she was dazed, trying to comprehend what had just taken place. When she spied Sarada stumbling to her feet, realisation dawned and she picked up Sarada. 

"Sasuke-kun, can you please pack up Sarada's things?" she asked, all the while giggling to herself. 

He obeyed her requests wordlessly. 

"Mama, why laughing?" Sarada asked inquisitively. 

"Oh, it's nothing," Sakura replied, trying but failing to stifle her giggles. "It's just your Papa is a funny man." 

Sasuke felt the weight of his daughter's eyes on him as she measured his worth as a 'funny man'. Sarada scrunched up her face as she said, "Papa is funny? I not believe it." 

This only made Sakura burst out laughing even more. Sasuke grumbled a "Shut up" to his wife as he brushed passed them and led them back home. 

The day settled into darkness as the family bonded some more over photo albums, choosing a new bed for Sarada whilst flicking through Konoha's catalogue, and dinner. The day ended with Sarada asleep between her parents in the middle of their bed. As the child slept, the parents spoke in a whisper, both of them with an elbow resting on a pillow. 

"Sakura, I've been thinking about everything that happened the last few days, and I... I've realised... When I'm away from both of you..." he struggled to vocalise his thoughts. "I find it difficult," he finished. 

Sakura pieced together what he was trying to say, and advised her husband, "Sasuke, I know it can be hard for you. I can only barely imagine how it must feel to love so fiercely after so many long years of loneliness and hardship..." He was amazed at how she could read him so openly. "...But, I think you should use that love you have for us and instead of allowing it to cloud your mind whilst you're on missions, use it focus yourself. Use it to remind yourself why you can't be with us. And Sasuke, we'll always be here waiting for you." She touched his arm and smiled at him affectionately. 

A flurry of emotions overwhelmed him, and he blinked back tears. "Thank you... Sakura." 

He watched her as her hand linked with his own that was supporting his head up, and as her face inched closer... he leaned back just in time to dodge her insultingly tempting lips. 

"Eh?! How come-" She looked at his face that was tinted with embarrassment. "Oh! Is this about earlier?" She giggled. 

"Don't laugh at me, Sakura," he pouted.

"I'm sorry, but you're just so cute," she laughed. "You were actually serious about not kissing in front of our daughter!" 

He huffed. The taint on his cheeks faded away as he diverted the subject. "Sakura," he said, his voice growing serious. Her face contorted as it matched his tone, and she stole her hand away from him, and let it fall on the bed before her. "If anything happens to Sarada, or even you, I want you to tell me. I'm her father and your husband and I need to know. I need you to be honest with me." 

Sakura took her lower lip in between her teeth and chewed on it. 

"Sakura!" He spoke her name with such force it made her bite down hard onto her lip, and she mewled in pain. 

For a split second he thought about healing it better with his lips again before casting that thought away. He was losing it. 

"Are you sure, Sasuke-kun?" 

"I know you're just trying to protect me. But trust me, it's better if I know. Not knowing won't make me worry any less. At least then I'll know that when you say you're both fine, you mean it."

"...Okay fine, Sasuke-kun. Just... don't do anything reckless."

"Know that I'll be thinking of you if I do," he teased, with a smirk threatening to form.

She lightly punched him just above his stump. "Remember you're trying to control your emotions!" 

He chuckled softly, "I know." 

She rested her head on the pillow and looked up at the ceiling. "Will you still be here when I awake?" 

He bent over and lightly tapped her forehead, causing her to close her eyes. "I'm sorry," he whispered. _Maybe next time._ He kissed his sleeping daughter's nose, and let his own head fall and rest, allowing slumber to overtake him. He left at the first spark of sunrise. 

***

Over a month had passed and in her letters he had learnt about every moment Sarada had cried for her Papa and every time Sarada had grazed her knee or earned a cut. He is overwhelmed with emotion each time as he feels his breathing hitch and his pulse quicken, however, he has also managed to suppress his emotions in the face of a battle and has relearned how to keep his composure. No one is able to scar him, instead, Sasuke leaves his opponents bloodied and crisped with a mix of black and red flames and only extinguishes them when they agree to cooperate and change their ways - whether that is under the shadow of a demonic _susano_ or within the confinements of a prison cell. 

At an inn, Sasuke sits at the hearth as the last letter from Sakura warms him: 

_My dear Sasuke-kun,_

_I'm glad to hear that you are doing well. I have attached a small scroll that has medicinal herbs with instructions on how to use in case your left arm starts to swell again._

_You'll be happy to know that Sarada has started to add Itachi-san to her drawings. I showed her some of your old family photos, I hope you don't mind. She can't stop drawing red blotches now - I've figured they're supposed to be the red clouds on yours and Itachi-san's cloaks._

_Since I last wrote to you, Sarada fell off a swing and grazed her knee. It's nothing to be concerned about of course, but I was still surprised how she didn't cry at all as she did swing up to about five feet into the air. Although she awoke at night crying for you again, I think the nightmares may be becoming worse._

_I've negotiated with Hokage-sama and I've now become part-time at the hospital, so I can look after Sarada more now that you won't be home often._

_If you can, please come back on July 23rd. I can't wait to see you._

_I love you._

_Forever yours,_

_Sakura U._

He traces every word with his thumb and commits to memory each stroke of her pen. July 23rd has come and gone and it was now the first week of August. Sasuke took one last look at the letter with his crimson eye, before throwing it into the fire. He hadn't had the time to respond, but he would now respond with a bouquet of apologies, personally. 

He couldn't decide whether he should pick them fresh from a field or whether to buy a bouquet, in the end he bought a batch of red roses and decorated it with a personal touch of freshly picked flowers. A purple eye flashed causing a black spiral to swallow a man whole, transporting him to the front yard of a brown bricked house. 

He heard two female voices coming from within the bottom left window; Sasuke leaned against the trunk of a tree, under the shade of a hundred leaves as his ears twitched at the sound of his name escape two pairs of lips. 

"Oh Sakura, I don't know how you do it. I don't think I'd be able to stand my own husband missing our wedding anniversary. You really don't know when Sasuke will be back?" Sasuke spied a flash of blonde hair sway as he saw the other woman's hands take hold of his wife's. 

He heard Sakura sigh. "Sasuke is a really busy man. And of course I miss him... but I also understand. He has too much responsibilities on his shoulders, as he has duties to the world that only he can perform. I just wish I could be more of help to him, you know?" He heard her sigh again. "I was hoping he'd come back on his birthday... I asked him to in my letter."

"Oh so you've been speaking to him? Did he say why he couldn't come back?"

"No... I haven't heard back from him... I guess it's too much to hope he'd come back today. Three years of marriage... I don't think he even knows it's our anniversary. He forgot the last two years."

"WHAT?! Seriously Sakura! How can you- UGH! I'd kick Sai's ass if he forgot! And for three years straight as well! But, are you sure he doesn't remember you anniversary?"

"Huh? Why do you ask that?" 

"Uh... Erm..."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed as the voices dwindled to a whisper. He jumped onto the roof of his house in hopes of hearing the rest of the conversation. He needed to know how Sakura felt, the words she couldn't say to his face but instead turned to her female friends for. He wanted to read her heart as easily as she could read his. All of a sudden, the top left window flew open and a blonde woman lifted her head up and pointed an accusing finger at him. 

"I KNEW IT!" Ino cried out. "Don't underestimate the Yamanaka clan's technique! I knew that was your chakra signature!" 

Sasuke had been caught red handed. Literally. 

"Oh my god!" Ino gasped. "Sakura... Your husband's arrived with a confession of love and apologies!" He heard a shuffle and a few grunts, and soon enough Ino was gripping Sakura by her collar and forcing her to look up. "Look at the flowers! I take back what I said earlier, you're such a lucky woman, Sakura. I really am going to beat Sai's ass now. See ya forehead! Oh and don't forget to pick up Sarada from Hinata's! I think I'll pick up Inojin before I whoop Sai. Anyway, I expect to hear you scream Sasuke's name from my house." She winked at Sakura and jumped out of the window and hopped over rooftops. 

Mismatched eyes met emerald, and he found himself staring into a forest full of the most enchanting mystical creatures. He was bathing under a sun as he dipped his feet into a lake where it was rumoured that all the greatest poets went to die. Beams of sunlight rippled across the heavenly water where a mermaid with pastel coloured hair swam at the bottom and whispered "Sasuke-kun...", luring him into the depths of dark blue where no other soul has come back from.

He blinked, and the mermaid lost her fins and tail and was suddenly clothed in red. He jumped down into their bedroom and closed the window behind them, locking it. "Sakura, I... I'm home." 

She flung her arms around his neck and teared into the crook of his neck, as she stood on her tallest tiptoes. "Welcome home, darling," he heard as she softly whimpered into him. 

From that point on, he decided he wanted all her ' _Welcome homes_ ' and to forever gift her with his own ' _I'm homes_ '. 

"I... I'm sorry I'm late, Sakura. I'm sorry I didn't write back. I'm sorry to have left you for so long. I'm sorry I keep forgetting our anniversary. I'm sorry you had to look after Sarada by yourself. I'm sorr-"

"Ssh", she hushed. She slid his arms from around him and took the bouquet of red roses and white orchids from his hand and pressed them towards her nose. "They're beautiful, Sasuke-kun. Thank you." 

He stood awkwardly next to her, not knowing what to say. He watched as she looked over the flowers, a smile gracing her sultry lips as she presumably counted the flowers in her head. He waited for her to finish until she met his gaze. She brought a hand to his face and traced his jawline. "I've missed you, Sasuke. So much," she whispered. "Thank you for coming back to me." 

When he didn't respond, she continued to trace his face with her fingers, her thumb brushing over his lips. "Sasuke, you're alone with me now. You don't have to be shy. You can stop frowning." 

He hadn't even realised he was making any sort of expression. He twisted his lips until he formed a straight line, so his face was as vacant as the Hokage stone faces. He watched as her eyes crease with amusement, and as her hand slipped down to meet his. 

"Come," she said. "Let's find a vase for these." 

He followed her down the hall and then down the stairs as she filled the silence, "...and then Ino came over after we dropped the kids off for their play date at Naruto's, and oh my god, we were talking about our weddings, and I almost forgot how much Shikamaru and Choji cried at Ino's wedding! They were bawling like babies! I wonder if Naruto would have cried if he was present at our wedding. I remember Iruka Sensei dissolved into a puddle at his, you should have seen it!" 

He felt her hand, and it felt rough, no longer the smooth skin he had once known. Was she taking care of herself? Was she eating well? Did she get enough sleep? Or was it all too much? 

They approached the foot of the stairs and he suddenly felt his fingers holding onto air as Sakura balanced the bouquet under her arm and she bent down to floor level. He attempted to step back as he realised what she was doing. 

"Sakura, you don't have to-"

"Please, let me," she insisted, not meeting his gaze. "After so long, I want to simply take my husband's shoes off. Is that such a bad thing?" 

He relented, and let her do as she bid. After she had freed his toes and it touched the wooden surface below him, she straightened her back and smiled up at him sweetly. She then moved her hands to his collar and worked to unclasp his cloak.

He brought his hand to a wrist, and felt the cold touch of her silver bracelet. He tried to pull her hand away, but arms were unrelenting. "Please..." he protested. 

She pulled away at his cloak and carried it in her arms, before hanging it on the coat hook in the hallway. She gestured him to follow her into the living room and she placed the roses of love and orchids of sincere apology into the vacant glass vase that sat on the middle of the dining table. 

"There," she said with satisfaction. "Sasuke, sit down." She pulled a seat open for him and he awkwardly obeyed his wife's request. She walked over towards the new showcase and brought out a comb. The next thing he knew she was brushing his hair, and pulling away at the knots. 

"Mmm, you've got such beautiful hair like Sarada," she hummed. "So silky, even when you've been out on the road for so long." She stood behind him, and he could smell her floral scent embrace him. 

"Sakura, I want to see my wife's face."

"Oh? Should I go find her for you?" She teased. 

"Sakura...", he said, elongating each vowel as he tasted her name once more on the tip of her tongue. 

She giggled and she stood before him, the sunlight framing her slender figure. She placed the comb onto the table and shone her wide viridian eyes at him. Her long hair fell almost to her waist as she brushed it with her fingers. She nibbled on her lip as she watched him drink her all in. In one swift motion he reached out to her, and she suddenly found herself sitting on his lap, facing him, a pretty blush spreading across her face that put her hair to shame. 

He brought his hand to her silky hair and let it slip through his fingers. "I'm sorry, Sakura-"

"Stop," she rebuked softly. 

"I've missed you, Sakura..." His heart did cartwheels as he closed the gap between them. She tasted sweeter than he remembered. Minutes ticked by until she broke it off. She slid herself off his lap and he missed her presence immediately. "Where are you going?" He rasped. 

"Oh, darling. I just remembered. Your birthday gift." She disappeared behind the dining room door until she appeared with a gift bag. "You wrote that when you're not wearing your cloak you're easily identified because of your Uchiha crest, so I just bought a few waistcoats for you. I know they're all the same colour... but I thought they would go well with your clothes since you only seem to wear dark grey nowadays. I hope you like it." 

He felt the waistcoat in his hand, and looked at the colour. They were all a light grey, almost blue, and he thought his wife did a great job at matching his outfit for him. The light grey waistcoat would go well with his dark grey shirts, he thought. "Ah," he said, gratitude spilling from his monosyllabic response. 

She then turned away from him once more and cantered off towards the connecting kitchen. She opened the oven and pointed towards the prize inside. "I didn't know if you'd be coming back today, so I only baked your favourite cake. I know it's not much... I thought we could share it with Sarada when we pick her up later today. We had your cake on your birthday, and surprisingly, she liked it. Which is odd since she doesn't like much of anything you like," she giggled. 

He stood up from where he was seated and strode over towards her, closing the oven door as he did. He trapped her between himself and the kitchen counter as he pressed his body towards hers. "Okay," was all he said. 

He found her quickening pulse at her throat and felt it thud against his fingertips, until he was satisfied that she was indeed real. But just to be sure, he checked with his mouth. He heard a gasp, but that only encouraged him further. He didn't know what he was doing; his body was moving on its own. His hand then slid down her dress until it was unbuttoning the front of her dress. The next thing he knew, the dress in question was slightly torn and left slumped over the tiled floor. "But whilst it's just us two," he rasped out into her neck. "I'd like to have a bite of you." 

"Sasuke!" He heard her cry out. "N-not in the kitchen..." As nimble as she is, she had ducked and slid between his legs and sprinted out of the dining room. But he was just as quick. He caught her and slammed her into the wall of the hallway. 

"Where do you think you're going?" He growled at her. She melted into him, and soon enough her hands were all over his body, caressing him, massaging him, until his shirt peeled off and pooled around their naked feet. At some point, she had mumbled she was cold and he found his cloak and wrapped them both inside it, hiding every inch of them together. Hips thrust together until they found paradise and they drowned into each other. They were drunk on each other's love and the rest of the world zoned out until only the other existed. They were on an island together - or rather they _were_ the island. He was the rough gritty sand, and she was the pure foamy sea. They met each other periodically. but simultaneously found it impossible to drift away from the other for too long. And between the two, treasure was buried deep inside that only these two had the access to. All other senses were gone. They could only see the other, feel each other's skin, and taste each other's lips. They could only hear their own names from their beloved, and smell both their scent mix together like two rich perfumes forming one. They were so engulfed in each other that they failed to hear the click of the door unlock and see two figures emerge...

"AH! WHAT THE F- SASUKE YOU IDIOT!" 

"Ewww, Mama and Papa are being pervy!" 

Both Uchiha's mouths fell open as they realised what had happened. As quick as a spark, Sasuke held onto his cloak that concealed their modesty and teleported him and his wife to their bedroom. They hurriedly put on new clothes, all the while Sakura cursed to herself in panic. Sasuke told his wife to stay in the room as he would handle it. He went downstairs to meet his worst nightmare. 

He landed in the lower hallway to come face to face with a red-faced Naruto pacing up and down the landing rambling nonsense to Sarada. 

Naruto stopped walking when he sensed Sasuke's presence. "OI! WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU PLAYING AT!" He shrieked. "I don't know how much she saw, but you should be grateful I have ninja reflexes and I was able to cover her eyes before she saw too much!" He hissed. 

Sasuke's brows furrowed, as he struggled to come up with a tactic in how to handle this situation. "How did you get in?" he asked. 

"Uh, Sarada kept saying she had 'Papa's key' and she wanted to go back to Sakura-chan since all the other kids were picked up," Naruto explained, whilst scratching his chin. 

Pink hair popped over the railing that spoke, "Oh! I was looking for Sasuke's key all afternoon! Sarada, you silly girl. You should have told me that you took it." Sasuke sharply turned his head towards her voice and glared at her, until he found that she was fully dressed. 

Sarada tilted her head up to look towards her Mama and asked, "Mama, so you and Papa making baby?" 

Sarada stood there confused waiting for a response as all the adults around her had their jaws dropped and eyes wide open. 

Silence. 

Sasuke took a few menacing steps forward and grabbed Naruto by the collar. "What have you been teaching my daughter?" He growled. 

Naruto spread his arms up in defence. "Nothing! I swear, dattebayo! I don't know where she learnt that from!" 

The tension was broken by the child in question. "Mama doctor book," she stated. Sasuke heard his wife inhale a sharp breath, and Sasuke's hand came slamming down onto his face. He grumbled into his hand, "Okay. Naruto you can go now." 

Naruto chuckled nervously, leaving Sasuke's key in Sarada's hands as he slid out the door without another word. 

Sasuke scooped Sarada up and carried her upstairs. As he passed Sakura he whispered to her, "Clean downstairs. I'll make her have a nap. We'll eat dinner and cake later." 

Whilst Sakura was occupied downstairs piling up torn clothes, and doing the laundry, Sasuke settled Sarada down into her new bed. 

"Welcome home, Papa!" Sarada finally exclaimed. "I mished you."

"Ah, I missed you too." 

"Are you and Mama have baby?" 

"No, Sarada. Like Sakura said, you are our baby." 

Before she could pester him with any more questions, without thinking of the consequences, he activated his _sharingan_ and erased the memories she had seen unfold earlier. As a result, she fell away into a deep sleep.

That was only the first time he used his _sharingan_ on her. 


	17. Afterglow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made an AMV using the song 'Afterglow' by Taylor Swift over a month ago, and ever since I've had this idea for a chapter. And now I've finally written it. Watch my AMV on YouTube called: 'Sasuke's Apologies - Afterglow AMV'. The channel name is Sakura_Blossoms 97 but you'll know it's me as my wattpad version of this story is linked in the description.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttba1jdKaH8

The setting sun painted the sky in pastels of pink, lavender and baby blue... The sun was a magnificent painter, if not the best - wasn't it? The lands glowed a heavenly light, and Konoha shone like the centrepiece of an artwork. At the heart of the village, lived a woman and her child who held a man's heart in the palm of their hands. In the afterglow they traded stories and surmised when he would be returning. 

The Uchiha patriarch would travel back and forth from Konoha, gone for weeks at a time and then would come back to his cherished family bearing gifts. Whether it was flowers, teddies, or his smiles, his two girls loved all of them. His wife would often tell him that the greatest gift was him - safe and sound. Whenever he was at Konoha, the days would be filled with spending as much time with his daughter, teaching her the names of new things - whether it be the names of different weapons or different flowers - and in turn she would teach him the best places to view the sun from, as she would grasp his lone hand and tug him along as he trailed behind her, an ever expanding heart hidden behind a small smile. His nights were filled with silent confessions as he made love to his wife as often as he could, for his heart ached for her when he was absent. Making love to her rushed him with an adrenaline that no battle could ever compete with.

It was a cold night in December, and his wife slept soundlessly next to him huddled under covers as she dreamt of the passionate night that had just ensued. He envied her for the ability to allow slumber to take her so quickly, as he stared at the blank ceiling hovering over him, thinking back to his most recent sins... The crimes he committed which he could not disclose to his wife. 

There was a dull ache in his heart as had realised the enormity of what he had done. It was the second time he had used his _sharingan_ on his daughter who had previously suffered from a viral attack where she could have lost her sight entirely, if it wasn't for her parents. His wife's words echoed in his mind...

 _"If someone else uses a_ dojutsu _on someone who's suffered from the virus quite soon after - we're not sure on the timescale, just yet - then the symptoms may surface again."_

 _"I'm sure you won't use your_ sharingan _on her"._

What had he done? He had risked his daughter's chance at seeing colours and the beauties of life, and for what? He tried to rationalise with himself, as he couldn't confide in his spouse. The last time someone had put her child at risk, she had cut them out altogether of their lives. He wouldn't be able to handle that. To know he wouldn't be given the chance to watch his child grow up and to hold his wife at night... it was all too much. He told himself he did what he had to do in the moment. It was a necessary evil... But was it? A child shouldn't be exposed to their parents - or anyone - making love. A child shouldn't have to see their father all bloodied and bruised, on the brink of death, as he falls into their mother's lap. He closed his eyes and felt a tear stroll down what his wife liked to call a 'perfectly arched face'. He didn't know how he looked his wife and daughter in the eye, and ironically, that was the problem. 

He raked his hand through his tousled hair and let out an exasperated sigh. His wife's hand suddenly fell on his chest as she snuggled closer and mumbled, eyes still closed, "Can't sleep?" When he didn't answer, she suggested, "Maybe you should put some clothes on." 

He felt her stir beside him, her hair falling over his shoulder and she pressed her snug knitted pyjamas onto him. "Fine, I'll warm you myself," he heard her stifle a giggle and soon enough heard soft snores ooze out of her and tickle his neck.

He lay there like a corpse, unable to receive anymore of her immense bank of unwavering love which he was sure he was undeserving of. Sleep wouldn't take him, but his guilt did. He left her again at the breaking of dawn, before she could notice that her husband had dissolved into a puddle of tears. 

***

The snow had melted away, and in its place buds had started to bloom. A red rose grew up out of ice frozen ground and the transition of seasons mirrored his own transitions as the ice caps in his own heart had melted away, and he felt hopeful as the sun rained down on him with a yearning for the future to be bright. As much as he missed his family, he knew his missions would contribute towards that bright future, and so he carried on with his duty, flowing with the river of time. It also helped that the continuous letters from his wife eased him as she had not mentioned any changes with Sarada, and so, maybe it was all okay. Maybe enough time had passed from when she had been attacked from the virus and the first time he had bore his crimson eye into her, that it no longer mattered. She would grow up to be a beautiful young woman, and maybe awaken the _sharingan_ out of love for her parents and her eyes would be the purest to be born out of the Uchiha. She would carry on the will of fire inherited from her hometown, probably passed down from Naruto, who may be Hokage by that time; and she may be a ferocious _kunochi_ like her mother; and an even more gentle soul like her uncle Itachi. Sasuke didn't think he had much of value to pass on from himself, other than his 'striking good looks' that Sakura never shut up about. He sat on a log in the middle of a forest, with dewy leaves hanging over him; the droplets finding a home for themselves on his raven black hair that sprouted from the rain of the night before. 

He was roasting a tomato skewer over the fire when his messenger hawk landed itself in front of him. Sasuke spied the pink lace ribbon that the letter was wrapped up in, and he smiled to himself. The pink reminded him of his wife's exotic rosy hair, and her even pinker lips; her blushes were pinker still. He could almost feel her skin brushing against him as the thought of her clouded him. She was heaven. Even far apart, just the thought of her was enough for him to feel as if he was home again, and that's what kept him going even in the darkest of nights.

_*...I don't wanna think of anything else now that I thought of you...*_

_*...Things will never be the same...*_

His hawk was ruffling its feathers as Sasuke pulled out the letter and untied the ribbon. He unrolled the letter, and the colour drained out of his face...

_Sasuke,_

_I know this is all very sudden, and I'm sorry if you're in the middle of something, but I need you to find Karin as fast as you can._

_Sarada awakened her sharingan last week in the middle of crying for you, but since two nights ago she's been complaining of headaches and she now has a high fever. I don't want to leave Sarada alone and no one else in Konoha knows how to get in contact with Karin as fast as you do._

_Find Karin and give her the scrolls attached._

_Please hurry._

_Sakura._

His hand trembled and his own vision blurred as he read over the letter over and over again, trying to decipher each letter through his tears and the blotches and scribbled writing which only could have been written in haste. All his fears he had thought had been extinguished had chased after him and found him. They were now haunting him, taunting him. He was engulfed with regrets and terror. The purple spirals in his eye flashed as he flicked through black pools, going in and out of hideouts, driving him crazy. It didn't matter if the _rinnengan_ took a massive toll on his body and depleted his chakra, he would force himself to get to Karin and back to his daughter, even if it tore him to shreds. 

He fell away into reckless abandon. He was on the concrete ground lying face flat, trying but failing to control his breathing when he heard footsteps rush towards him. 

"Sasuke!" cried a familiar voice of a woman. The name cut the air like a shard of glass.

He saw a flash of red and black glasses, and suddenly he was being rolled onto his side. 

"Why are you here? What's happened?! You're the wrong Uchiha I said I was indebted to," Karin jibed. 

Sasuke grunted, and fished into his black pouch for the letter and scrolls. Her eyes flickered from left to right, left to right as she took it all in. "Sasuke. I won't be able to tend to you right now," Karin spoke, her words slurring together as she ran off; her words echoed throughout the eerie cavern. "This is more urgent." 

Sasuke grunted in agreement. He pushed himself up and dragged his body towards the shadow that was dancing to the flickering candles that lit his path. He leaned against the wall and panted, "Will... we... be able to... save her... eyes?" He could barely see anything himself. Everything looked black save for the flicker of light in his peripheral vision. He heard a shuffling of noise and hurried footsteps pace back and forth across the room. He dragged her name across his tongue between gritted teeth, " _Karin..._ "

"Sas-uke! I can only do so much! I need to focus!" she snapped back. 

Sasuke slumped to the floor in response and rested his head on the wall behind him. He counted the many sins he had committed over his lifetime, but he found he didn't have enough fingers for that. He resorted to closing his eyes and cursing himself. Why is that he always hurt those closest to him? His mind jolted through incoherent thoughts, none of them quite fitting together like misplaced jigsaw pieces. He thought that the purification of Sakura could stop the Uchiha curse of harming each other - but maybe he still hadn't been completely freed from his own past sins. _Sarada..._ He would give up his own eyes if it meant he could save hers. The ghost of his past had sought him out, and embraced him, like a lover's kiss. He struggled to reign his emotions, and battle through his own demons. He just wanted to keep his family safe, but failure after failure... 

"Sasuke!," Karin's voice cut sharp through his thoughts, and he looked at her kneeling down beside him with her arm stretched out towards him. "Bite me." 

He took hold of her arm and bit into it. He ignored her as her face transitioned into a light pink and instead focused on how his body immediately felt recharged. When he was done, he dropped her arm and both Uchiha and Uzumaki stood up. She handed him a letter and two scrolls, and bid him farewell. "From what I've understood from Sakura's notes to me, Sakura has managed to stabilise Sarada. But she's currently unconscious. I've prescribed some medication that will need to be fed through drips- agh, Sakura can read the rest in the letter. Anyway, there's a chance that Sarada may have lost a bit of her sight - don't look at me like that! She'll still be able to see, but her vision would be a bit blurry. In one of the scrolls there's glasses fit for a child just in case. Now go!" 

Sasuke didn't need telling twice. He took her advice and opened a portal that dropped him in Konoha hospital. His eyes glazed over the staff until he found a familiar face. He tugged at the elbow of a middle-aged woman with black hair that was cut short inches above her shoulders. "Oh, Sasuke!" the woman dressed in black exclaimed. 

"Where's Sakura and Sarada?!"

"Oh, uh..." he waited impatiently as his wife's senior flicked though the pages on her clipboard. "Oh, it looks like Sarada's been discharged. Sakura must be tending to her at- oh!"

Sasuke left as soon as he understood. He jumped over rooftops until he landed on his own. He jumped down onto the porch and rushed in and then up the stairs. He flung Sarada's bedroom door open only to find her lying in her bed, with a wet cloth placed on her forehead. Snuggled up next to her was her favourite green teddy, and beside the bed sat her latest pink bunny toy. Sakura was slumped at the foot of her bed, clearly exhausted, as her head rested under one arm on the bed with her hair tied back as it usually was when she was on a shift or doing the household chores. She stirred when she felt Sasuke's hand tug at her shoulder. She pressed her eyes open, "Sasuke-kun..." 

She immediately rose up when she realised who was standing over her. "Oh, Sasuke! Did you go to Karin?!" 

He handed her the letter and scrolls, and she immediately got to work. He heard her inhale a sharp breath as she felt Sarada's skin with the back of her hand. His whole body tensed up - "It seems that she's conscious now. She must have woken up a few hours ago and fell asleep." - and relaxed. 

"Karin gave me the rundown," he said. "But is she going to be okay?" 

Sakura looked at her husband and smiled with water on the brim of her eyes. "Y-yes. I think she will, Sasuke-kun. Thank you." 

He let out a sigh of relief. "But... it won't be the same will it?"

The smile evaporated from Sakura's gentle face. "No... It won't be." She sat on the edge of the bed and stroked their daughter's hair. "It looks like she may have to wear glasses, which is fine. But, I'll need to regularly examine her eyesight just in case. Until I know for sure she's okay."

He furrowed his eyebrows and whispered, "I'm sorry."

She turned her head sharply towards Sasuke and asked, "For what? This isn't your fault. I mean, sure she activated the _sharingan_ because she missed you, but that was out of your control. You need to stop being so hard on yourself, Sasuke-kun. Again, it's _because_ of you that it's not worse than it is." 

Sasuke looked into the two pools of green light, and almost broke under her compassion. He almost spilled to her his dark secrets of using his _sharingan_ to manipulate Sarada's memories. 

"Sasuke?" she asked, softly. 

He blinked back tears and then sat on the other side of Sarada and caressed his daughter's face. _Forgive me._ He didn't know what else to say except, "Thank you, Sakura. For everything." 

The smile he loved so much broke again into her face and she brought her hand onto his own face. "I should be saying that," she chuckled. "I love you, darling." 

"Hmm," he hummed. "Yes." _I love you too._

Another two hours passed before their daughter peeled her eyes open. Pink and raven hair hovered over her. "M-Mama...?" the daughter asked. "Who- who this man?" 

Gasps and whispers could be heard in the newly refurnished room. In place of the lavender carpet there was now wooden flooring at the child's request, and the purple walls had been painted yellow - presumably to reflect all the stories her father had told her about the healing of daylight. 

Sakura unsealed the last scroll and a small red frame of glasses sat between her hands. She placed them over her daughter's eyes, and asked, "Is that better Sarada?" 

Sarada blinked a few times before jumping up and throwing her arms around the man's neck. "Papa!" she cried into him. "You're home Papa! I missed you. Welcome home."

A tear rolled down his cheek and he hugged her back. "I'm home, Sarada."

***

He continued his duties to the world whilst also visiting Sakura and Sarada as much as he could. His heart broke every time he saw Sarada wear those red glasses, but then Sakura would come as she sensed his tension, and eased him with a smile, a touch, or an 'I love you, Sasuke-kun'. His starlight was three years old now, and he brought her a new pair of glasses from Karin, as well as a new white blouse that came with a fitted red tie. The blouse went well with her red skirt that Sakura had bought for her, he mused. He smiled as Sarada ran in her new red shoes complete with her new outfit and dragged Papa around Konoha as they went in search for the black cats, Sask and Tachi. They could be distinguished by the fact that Tachi had a few white whiskers, and the tip of his tail was white, whereas Sask was black all over. She pouted as they didn't let her stroke them, so Sasuke picked up Sask and soothed it with tuts before allowing Sarada to carry it. She squealed with Sask in her arms and pleaded with her Papa if she could finally bring him home. Sasuke said no, they already had a Sask at home and Sarada erupted into a fit of giggles. "Papa! You're not a cat!" she laughed. 

"I can be if you want me to be," he said. 

"No, no! I want you to be horsey!" 

He relieved Sask from Sarada's embrace and father and daughter watched as it scrambled away and found Tachi. Sasuke crouched down and Sarada sat on his shoulders as he walked them home. 

He heard voices as they stepped over the threshold. "But if it wasn't for you, Sakura, Naruto-kun would only be able to cook ramen," came a quiet voice.

"Oh, I don't know. Iruka Sensei also helped," his wife reminded the former Hyuga, acting modest. "But he's such a knucklehead, me and Iruka Sensei had to spend a whole two months with him to teach him how to cook different dishes! Well, you would know. You couldn't stop coming over. Oh, you're so cute when you blush, Hinata. But honestly, I don't know how you live with him! And now with two kids! Does he even help?" She asked doubtfully. 

"Yes, Naruto-kun is- Oh! Sasuke-kun. Sorry. Himawari don't slobber over Uncle Sasuke." The shy girl bent down and picked up her daughter before greeting Sarada. "Hi Sarada-chan," she said, meekly. "Do you want to come to ours and play with Boruto for a bit?" 

Sakura turned around in her chair and intervened, "Oh, that won't be necessary, Hinata. It's okay, really! You do enough as it is. I don't know how you hold all those parties, it must be exhausting."

Hinata turned back to face Sakura and smiled. "I really don't mind. We like having our friends over."

Sakura chuckled to herself. "Really? I always imagine it's Naruto who forces everyone to come around... But you'd really do anything for him, won't you?" 

The Uzumaki by marriage flushed, before saying, "But it's the same for you, Sakura, isn't it? You and Sasuke-kun."

It was time for Sakura to flush red. "Eh?!" This only elicited a bubble of laughter from Hinata. 

Sakura attempted to change the subject as she placed her cup of tea on the dining table and pulled Hinata back to her seat. "Well, don't leave on Sasuke's account. Trust me, he doesn't bite..." And then she added under her breath, "Well, maybe he only bites me..." But the comment didn't go unnoticed. 

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at that comment and placed Sarada down beside him. He walked around the table and stood just behind Hinata's seat and glared at his wife. She bit his lip as she realised what she had said in his presence. The change in atmosphere could be felt by the guest, and she got up from her seat again and made her excuses. "Thank you Sakura for having me and Himawari. Erm, it's about time for Boruto to have his bath and Naruto-kun kind of struggles with that... But if you want me to take Sarada off you for a couple of hours, I can..." 

Without leaving her eyes off her husband, Sakura said, "No, there won't be any need for that. But thank you, Hinata. Bye, Himawari. Sarada will show you out."

The Uchiha couple heard polite voices say farewell to each other. "Bye Himawari, bye Auntie Hinata. Tell Boruto I'll beat him at our next arm wrestling match too." They heard a soft giggle and then the door lock. 

Sasuke scowled at his wife and threatened with a low voice, "Do you know what this means?"

A light blush rose up on Sakura's cheeks. "I guess... I'll have to prepare myself for my punishment tonight..." she replied back in a matching low register. Her emerald orbs flickered away and back. "But... maybe that's what I want..." 

Sasuke abruptly turned his head away as he felt blood rush to his cheeks. He heard a giggle from his wife escape her dangerous lips. She always left him so... _frustrated_ when she did things like this. The sexual tension between husband and wife was broken by a young voice, "Er, Papa? You know it's not nice to bite Mama? Do I need to report you to Hokage-sama?" 

Both adults' eyes widened, and Sasuke could feel beads of sweat form under his bangs of hair. Sakura turned towards their daughter and waved her hands around frantically, "Oh no, dear. Mama was only joking! I meant... uh... Papa always loves to have a bite of my food. Yes! My food, ehehehe..." 

A brow on Sarada perked up as she studied her parents. "...You're both weird," she decided. Sarada slipped her shoes off and left it in the hallway, before padding upstairs to her room. 

He spied his wife edging closer towards him, and then felt a light touch on his arm. "So, erm, does that mean I get double the punishment?"

"Fuck off," he grumbled. 

Later that night, they sat up in bed next to each other with only bed sheets clothing them. But for the first time, no amount of her touches or kisses could relieve him from the ocean of guilt that he was drowning into. He was being suffocated by his own sins and no healer could save him. He remembered the first time they had made love, and how the weight of his sins had consumed him shortly after, causing him to leave. But the second time, they had reconciled after discovering that something had bloomed out of that love. But now... his own curse had even spoiled the most purest form of love, and every time he looked upon his daughter's face, he was only reminded of this again and again... He couldn't bear it. She was no longer just a reminder of his reborn self, but now a reminder that he had failed his family. How could he live with himself? And to make matters worse, the knowledge that even if he hadn't been the direct cause of his daughter's partial blindness, he was still the root cause of it. She had only awakened her _sharingan_ for the love she bore him. His absence deeply affected her, and it was only made much worse by his presence. To love something so dearly, but to have it slip away from you time and time again. He knew exactly what that felt like, and he didn't want his daughter to suffer anymore. He needed to alleviate her suffering, he couldn't cause pain to her anymore... But his duties to the world still remained. His mismatched eyes moistened at the realisation of what he needed to do.

Pink hair fell against his torso and her strong arms encircled around his waist. She had her eyes closed as her chest nestled against his heart full of new cracks. "What's wrong, darling?" she whispered.

"...It's nothing."

She looked up at him and narrowed her eyes. "If you're concerned about Sarada, you know you don't have to be. I scanned her eyes this morning and she's all good. So stop worrying."

Her thumbs stroked the corners of his eyes and they left wet with his sorrows, and she soothed him with a whisper, "We're so lucky to have you, darling. And I try to make Sarada understand why you can't be with us when you're not here. As smart as she is, she's too young to understand just yet, but I'm sure when she's a bit older she'll appreciate all that you do for her. In a few years, you can even pass down your Uchiha talents to her, hm? So just think about that."

Usually, his wife would have the exact right words to say, but this time... A sorrow encased in a drop escaped Sasuke. She kissed his tears away. "Sasuke-kun... It hurts me to see you like this..."

"I'm sorry," he rasped out in a whisper. 

"Why are you apologising for? Idiot."

"I'm sorr-" He looked down at her and she bit her lip to prevent a giggle from escaping. She found his lips with hers, and when they drew away again she buried her head in his chest. "Can we always be this close?" she asked. "Forever and ever?" 

The thudding of heart answered for him, but his mind was elsewhere. He kissed the strands of her hair under him. _I'm sorry._

He broke under her overwhelming weight of love and felt crushed beneath her arms. 

Where do they go from now?

* * *

From the soiled ground, born out of tears and the sweltering heat are flowers that bloom firstly in ones and twos, and then a whole village of colourful petals before they dance to the merry tune of the wind. Their fragrance and pollen travel across the vast lands, and even through lifetimes. Just like a folk song, the love of flowers is passed on from generation to generation. A raven-haired young girl is plucking out some of these flowers as she spends her time with her Auntie Ino and a boy of her own age, Inojin. She carefully arranges them and uses her aunt's extensive knowledge of flowers to create two bouquets: one for her Mama, and the other for her Papa. Her smile lights the world up, and casts a heavenly glow upon the flowers she has just plucked. It is a hot day in May.

Across the village, her father returns from his mission, but alas he has not come bearing gifts. Rather, his heart is heavy full of broken glass that he carries along with him - the shards cutting him in ways that his enemies could never. He sits on the burgundy couch as he waits for his wife to finish her shift. Minutes stretch out into hours, and his forlorn face stretches even further, his eyes downcast as he struggles to capture the words necessary he would need to drop onto his wife. He captures his shattered face into his hand, and the unspoken words come falling down from him like a waterfall. And that was how she found him.

"Sasuke-kun?" She came rushing over to him and knelt in front of him. "Sasuke-kun, what's wrong? Look at me. Talk to me." Her words were soft but desperate. "Let me help you. Please."

Her arms cradle his fragile frame as she picks herself up and allows her husband to fall into her. His arm wraps around her waist, and she can feel the front of her dress becoming damp. "Sasuke..." she whispers.

He rasps into her stomach, "Where's Sarada?"

She looks down at him, "She's with Ino. I was going to pick her up after a shower, but..."

"Don't."

"Okay, I won't," she agrees. "But please, Sasuke..."

He looks up at her, and his eye is red, but his _sharingan_ hasn't been activated. He lets go of her waist and gulps. He pats the space next to him, and she understands. She takes her place by his side. There is concern written all over her face, and he knows she only wants the best for him. For them. But...

"Sakura," he finally says. "I need to talk to you..."

She intertwines her hand with his and she beckons him, "Tell me."

He forces himself to look at her innocent green eyes that only exude love and purity, that whispers to his soul _I will always be here for you_. His own eyes, he knows, are only filled with a dark mystery that is eating away at him, consuming him until it hurts her too - it is worse than any curse mark.

He licks his lips as he tries to form the words inside his heart, "I... It's too much," he whispers at her.

"What is?" she whispers back, her brows furrowed, trying to understand where all this has come from.

"I... I can't do this anymore... Sarada, she... I can't hurt her anymore..." He feels her hand grip his tighter and there is something flickering in her eyes. What is it? Rage? Fear?

"Sasuke-"

" _Listen_ to me, Sakura," he begs. "I can't bear to stand the amount of pain I put her through. She's so young, and I don't want to hurt her. I don't want her to feel anymore pain. I _need_ it to stop. I can't let her go through it..." Her grip tightens, and just that is a whole conversation on its own.

He notices the glare she gives him. " _What are you saying, Sasuke_?" He notices her own struggle as she speaks to him through gritted teeth.

"It's best if... Sarada doesn't see me anymore." And just like that the force around his hand is gone. Comfort is lost. And all is broken.

"You think it's best if she grows up without a father? Is that what you think?" She challenges him. 

"You think that's.... _kind_? You think that's _love?_ You think that's _FAIR?!_ " Her chest heaves up and down as she glares him down. "And, say you don't see Sarada, what about me?" She tests.

His hand finds her hair between them and he feels the soft lock tickle through his fingers. He suddenly finds it difficult to meet her gaze. He looks at his hand as the pink slips away right between his grasp until no colour is left. "I want to still see you, Sakura..." he confesses.

The weight on the couch becomes lighter and she is no longer sitting beside him. "No," she seethes, her voice sharp but low. "I will not have you pick between me and Sarada. You will _not_ do this to her. To _us_." Her fist clenches and her face is sinister. "I will not have my daughter grow up without her father! And where did all of this even come from? You never gave any signs you were feeling like this."

Her rage radiates off of her and suddenly he is swarming in it. He can feel his own rage bubble up to the surface as he fights to suppress it down, but it is too late. It is another fight he has lost. "I did... I gave so many signs..." he said, his voice a low rumble as if a dark cloud loomed over him. And then explosion. "AND WHAT WOULD YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT, HUH, SAKURA?! YOU ALWAYS HAD EVERYTHING HANDED TO YOU ON A PLATE! AND WHAT DID YOU DO?! YOU CUT YOUR OWN FATHER AND MOTHER OUT OF SARADA'S LIFE! SO DON'T FUCKING TELL ME ABOUT NOT GROWING UP WITH PARENTS! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO LECTURE ABOUT FAMILY TIES!" Both his crimson and purple eyes flared as his own chest heaved up and down. Up and down. His breathing became heavier, and so did his body. He just wanted to burn something. But that thought was quickly extinguished by the rain that was falling on his hand. 

"Is that... Is that what you really think of me, Sasuke?" she choked out. "True, maybe I did grow up with most than a lot of other kids who had shinobi as parents, but... don't you know how much pain I felt each time you left? Even now... I... I thought you loved us, Sasuke... I thought..."

Drop by drop they came raining down. She was so... _broken._ He realised the significance of his words and instantly regretted it. Why did he always have to break what he loved so much? He reached out his hand towards hers, and whispered, "I do..."

But she snatched her hand away and glared down at him. "DON'T YOU TOUCH ME!" She roared. "You can have it your way, don't see Sarada. Fine. But you also won't see me. Now get out."

"Sakura-" He tried to reach out for her again.

"I SAID GET OUT!" she shrieked. She then cracked the sofa with one smooth punch and he came rolling off until he fell across the room. "Shannaro! I swear if you touch me again, I will break every bone in your body! Don't TEST ME!" He scrambled to his feet and edged closer towards her but she broke the chair in front of her and fell down, crumpled. They were a mess.

She fell down onto the floor and dissolved into a puddle. He took one last look - _Forgive me, Sakura._ \- and left.

***

He couldn't stay away. He had business around Kirigakure, but he constantly found himself journeying towards Konoha again and again. It was the first week of August, and the thought of not having yet reconciled with his wife for their fourth anniversary hung over him like a dark cloud. He couldn't stand it any longer. He _needed_ her. He thought of their first kiss together: it had been on the night where they had officially acknowledged each other as lovers after an evening on a bench that lasted for two and a half minutes. Naturally, he had found himself lying beside her on her bed for the first time; both their faces had been illuminated by light pink but it felt so natural to be beside her like that. He remembers how he had brought their foreheads together, and how she had interlocked their fingers. Their faces came closer together until they took the next step into their relationship: it was unclear who had initiated it - perhaps it been a mutual understanding between two who understood each other so well, he didn't know. But he remembered the taste of her soft, sweet lips before dreaming about an enchantress with cherry blossoms growing out of her hair... He wish he could kiss her one last time. To say sorry. To say goodbye. He didn't know what the kiss would mean if he did kiss her. He just knew he needed to do it.

He warped back to the front of his house - did he warp to the wrong place? No, he was sure this was it, then why... In front of him lay a rubble of bricks that had been piled up like a mound of leaves. He stepped closer, and he found a white and red painted brick on the floor before him. The Uchiha insignia. There were cracks all over it and it was painted in dust. He bent down and washed away the grime with a brush of his fingertips. This is what he had left behind: a home full of broken memories. He stood up and looked up at the sky and met the downpour half way. He contributed towards watering the grass beneath him, it was all he could do for his old home. _Home_. Where was that now? It was unclear. Everything was a haze and he didn't know where anything started or ended. Although it was the middle of summer, it felt like the coldest winters he had ever faced. His clothes clung to his skin like a child who had missed their estranged parent. He took one last look at the rubble that lay before him before he jumped off the hill and escaped towards the Hokage tower.

"Sorry, I won't be seeing anyone else today. You'll need to speak to Shikamaru if you want- " The silver haired Hokage brought his face us from the desk. "Eh, Sasuke?" Kakashi expressed surprise. "I didn't think you'd be back to report on me so soon? Mei, the Mizukage, hasn't contacted me about your mission? Unless..." Kakashi's eyes narrowed, as if to say _Is this about something else?_

"Kakashi. Tell me where Sakura and Sarada live."

Kakashi sighed. "I thought so. Unfortunately... you're not privy to that information."

"What?" Sasuke asked menacingly, his voice dangerously low. He took a step forward. "That's my home."

"Ah," Kakashi answered. "To be sure. But... As Hokage I have to permit my civilians' requests, and I've been personally asked not to disclose that information... To you." Sasuke scowled and glared at the man who called himself Hokage, and his fist clenched until his nails drew blood.

"But," Kakashi continued. "That doesn't mean that the other people in the village have to go by that. You know, I really don't want to get in between a lover's quarrel, so don't tell anyone - especially Sakura - but you'll have the best luck at inquiring with Naruto."

Sasuke raised a brow, and then left. He heard the Sixth Hokage mutter, "Not even a thanks..."

Sasuke hunted Naruto down from his home, to the training grounds, until he found him at Ichiraku. A few interrogations and death threats later, Sasuke held the knowledge of his family's address. It was a few hours after midday, and he found himself perched upon a tree, spying down on his wife and daughter. It was a smaller house, one fit for a small family. He saw in one window his wife was cleaning the dishes and his daughter behind her drawing pictures. He noticed that all the pictures only consisted of herself and her mother. He waited a few more hours, drinking in pink hair, the silver bangles, the diamond seal... He ingrained with his _sharingan_ the way his daughter laughed and smiled as she told some joke to her mother. He continued to wait, and soon enough Sakura had dropped Sarada off to a friend's house, and Sakura came back. It was when she was in her bedroom getting her medical supplies ready that he made his move.

He jumped down through the open window and stood in the doorway so he was behind his wife. He was immediately met with a fist that was inches away from his face, but the face behind the fist stood frozen in shock as she realised who has intruded her home. Lips apart and emerald eyes wide. "S-Sasuke...?" she mustered out.

He gently lowered her fist and took her in with his crimson eye. She was as beautiful as ever - more than he remembered. His heart pounded in desperation to be within her arms again, to hear her confess her feelings again for the millionth time, to embrace her in his own arm and feel her hair tickle her chin, to take in her scent, as his body became one with hers.

"Sakura..." he said.

She blinked once. Twice. And then stole her wrist back, rubbing away his touch with her other hand as if he could be so easily erased. "If you have something to say, spit it out. I don't have the time for this," she spat out bitterly.

He hadn't prepared anything, so he said the first thing that came to mind. "How's Sarada?"

"Really?" She perked up an eyebrow, and crossed her arms. "Do you really think you have any right to ask that?"

"I'm sorry..." he apologised. "Maybe I don't know what to say, but, this is me trying."

And once again, it was the wrong thing to say.

" _Trying?!"_ she echoed. " _Trying_ would be spending time with your daughter. _Trying_ would be coming back for your birthday when your daughter asks about you non-stop! Trying would be coming back to us-"

"I'm here now," he interrupted. " _At least I'm trying_ ", he said in a desperate plea for her to understand.

"Then, for the love you swear you bear for me and Sarada, come back to us. To both of us. Stop with all of this, and fix us again. Please. Sarada asks about you every night I can't do this no more... _Let Sarada see you_ ," she pleaded.

"I can't," he vowed.

She glared at him. "Then go. Why are you here? Better still, don't ever show your face again. It's clear you hold no love for us."

"Please, Sakura-" He reached out to feel her hair, but she took a step back.

"You need to go. Actually, I need to go." She barged past him and went down the stairs. "I have a shift right now and I can't be late-"

"When will you be finished?"

She froze. But no answer came. Maybe that's how it is when one freezes in time and space.

He didn't know what to do, should he hold her? Should he leave? But in the end he reverted to saying, "I'll be at the old house. Meet me in the afterglow. If you don't come... then I'll know where we stand."

It was those words that had awakened her again. "'We'? I didn't know there was a 'we'," she scoffed. "Leave the way you came in, I don't want there to be rumours about us." The front door opened and closed before him, and barely a slither of sunlight entered the house.

***

Sasuke sat on the rubble of where he once called home and looked up at the sky that he had lost himself in so many times in a state of tranquillity on this very spot with his loved ones. The mixture of pink and lavender dwindled away, until all was left was the sliver of an orange glow. The golden orb in the sky sunk lower and lower, and the day broke away until even the tweeting of the birds had stopped. Sasuke looked away and stared at the sea of grass that lay before him. He no longer knew where home was. Shadows merged with the darkness of the night, until it was unclear where the sunlight was obstructed in the dayspring. The coldness of the night touched him, and left him with kisses of broken promises all along his skin as he shivered. He didn't remember August having been so cold.

He was still staring at the grass, wondering when he would see it in human form when he felt a warm presence beside him.

He lifted his head up and looked at the orbs of grass and admitted, "I wasn't sure if you would come."

"Well I'm here," she responded stiffly.

Luckily for him, he had spent his time wisely and had practised and performed to his snake summoning, Aoda, his words. "Thank you for coming," he let out softly. She huffed in response.

"What did you want to say?" she asked sharply, still not meeting his gaze. He studied her as she looked into the night sky, searching for the moon, counting the stars. But now that she was here, she was the only light he could look at. He wanted to feel her body against his, and count the constellations that freckled her back.

He knew what he had to say, he needed to tell her: "I'm sorry-"

"Is that all?"

"Let me finish," he insisted. "I'm sorry. Maybe it's all in my head, but I don't want Sarada to suffer anymore than she has to. I still stand by that... But I, I know I'm the one that burned us down. What I said... About your parents, I was out of line. That's not what I meant, I'm sorry that I hurt you...My words shoot to kill when I'm mad, I have a lot of regrets about that."

He counted the creases on her forehead and moved his arm until pinky fingers brushed against each other with only dust and broken bricks in between acting as the only physical barriers. Although he would have to work harder to remove the rest of the barriers, he knew. "I know how much pain I've caused you... and not just now. From the beginning of us... when we were still kids who knew nothing. I'm sorry about that too... I shouldn't have knocked you out and left you on that bench. I punished you with silence when you-"

"Sasuke. That was a long time ago. I don't care about that anymore," her voice was strangely sincere as he swore she was still mad at him. She looked down at their hands so close to each other. "Let's focus on the present."

He blinked, surprised she didn't want to hear of his apologies from so long ago... He had thought she had wanted to hear him finally say how he truly felt about that night that broke them for the first time. "I guess... I picked up your rambling habit," he joked. And that was when she finally looked at him. Her eyes were red and were filmed with tears that threatened to escape. Her furrowed brows spoke to him to continue.

"Sakura, I... I don't want to do this anymore. I don't want to lose this with you-"

"And what exactly is 'this'?"

He finally placed his hand over hers, and she didn't tug away. "You know what 'this' is," he whispered. "We had something so special. I don't want to throw it away."

She studied his face, searching for the sincerity behind his words, behind his face. "It's always been my fault, I know. Please don't go, Sakura... You mean so much to me I can't stand it, Sakura!" Sakura's eyes widened as she heard her own words from so long ago reflected back at her; the mirror was blurry, and not quite the exact same reflection, but she could see through it anyway. She understood his words and that was translated by her tears finally releasing.

He knew by the fountain on her face that she understood his words. But he desperately needed her to speak her words and reciprocate it back. _Please, Sakura._ He wanted her to tell him that she was still his, to comfort him and tell him they'll be fine. Rather, he wanted to _tell her_ to tell him beautiful lies that this wasn't all his fault, that she still wanted him after all of this, even though he has broken her heart time and time again. But his words choked and dissipated at his throat, and he couldn't release them. A flurry of leaves danced around them, brought to them by a gust of wind that left her hair come out of its place and stroke his tender face. Mismatched eyes and viridian drowned into each other, searching for their lost lover in a labyrinth full of darkness as they also searched for the daylight. He broke the silence by saying, "Sakura. I won't stop loving you - I can't! How can I... how can I fix this... _Please_. Meet me halfway." All he got was her face crumpling under the moonlight. So he continued, "Even if the world was to tear us apart, my heart would still belong to you. And that would never change. I know I don't say it enough, but I had hoped you had heard it in the silence and when we're around each other, but I, I love you, Sakura. I need you. My heart will always find you no matter where I go..."

She buried her face in her other hand as she grasped desperately for control over her breathing as her body violently shook with each burst of tears. He squeezed the hand that sat beneath his own and hoped she knew what it meant. _I'm sorry I always make you cry._ He squeezed her again, and by this time she had regained some sort of composure and had started to dry her tears with the hem of her dress.

She closed her eyes for a bit, and Sasuke counted the seconds that passed before she opened them again to meet his gaze. Flecks of mascara were scattered under her eyes but she was still as radiant as the sun, and still the warmest thing to look upon. "And what about Sarada?" she asked in a hushed whisper.

He forced himself to not look away as he slowly said the next words, "You know how that is. I love her more than I do you, if that's even possible. She stole my heart when she was just a flicker of light in your stomach-"

"Not this 'light' nonsense again. Sarada won't stop talking about the light emitted from the sun and other objects orbiting around the heavens-"

She stopped when she heard him chuckle and apologise for the hundredth time. It was now that she released her hand from under his and stroked his face with the same hand. She then moved her hand behind his head and brought his forehead so it was touching hers and whispered to him, "Oh, Sasuke. How did it all become like this? We're such a mess."

"It's my fault," he whispered back.

"It is," she agreed. "It really is. You're an idiot. And I hate you." His eyes widened, this wasn't the confession he wanted - or expected - from her. "I hate you. I hate you. You drive me so mad, I hate that I love you, even after all this time. Why do you do this to me, Sasuke-kun? Why do you always hurt me?" He felt her tears trickle down as it fell on his lap. She took a deep straggly breath in before continuing, "I love you so much, and I hate you for i-" He silenced her with lips locking onto each other. Their tongues fought for dominance, but she was winning and he allowed her. He allowed himself to fall back to her, and he traced the Uchiha crest on her back with his index finger, soft hair coming in between as he did so. She finally pulled away and then fell into his lap.

"What kind of mother does it make me for allowing my child to have an absent father?" she asked someone but no one.

"Sakura, I know you have enough love for the both of us. So please, don't think it makes you any less of a mother because it doesn't. If anything, it's me who should be worrying about my worth as a father," he consoled.

She touched his face as she looked up at him. "But you're doing this for her, I know. I guess I've know it all along... But it's so hard to accept."

He held the hand that was caressing his face in his and kissed it. "If I knew there was another way... But I don't. I don't want Sarada to be tainted by me. You're full of such-" he desperately searched for a word that didn't have to do with 'light' to convey his feelings "-purification and innocence. I know she'll grow up to be a beautiful soul like you, under your guidance. I dread to think what could become of her if I continue to come and go out of her life like I do... it must be so confusing for her. I just want to put an end to her misery."

She pulled his head down and their lips met once again. They had met halfway. Her kiss still lingered on him as they both searched for air. "Darling," she breathed out. "I'm sorry I was so angry-"

"You had a right to be. You're her mother after all."

"I know but, it wasn't all on you. I should have heard you out. I should have listened-"

"Sakura, you don't need to apologise."

"Stop interrupting me!" she scolded. He bit back a smile, but she noticed and she pouted. And he knew that they had found themselves again. "Sasuke-kun," she tried again. "I'm sorry too. And I want you to know that I'll always be here by your side waiting... But if you ever change your mind about Sarada, I know she'll be waiting too."

"Thank you... Sakura."

They stared at each other for a few more moments lovingly, longingly. The spell was broken when Sakura sat up and started rummaging around her medic jacket's pockets. "Sakura, what are you doing?" he asked, having regained his stoic expression he wears around everyone else who wasn't family.

"Ah! Here it is!" She held his hand and fit it through a black fingerless glove. "It fits!" she squealed.

He raised an eyebrow at her. She answered his unspoken question, "It's Sarada's birthday present for you. She kept going on and on about how she remembers your hands being really rough against her cheeks, so she made me buy this for your birthday."

Sasuke looked down at the fingerless glove and his heart was engulfed in warmth. He was so blessed with his two girls. "Ah," he said. "Tell her..." He didn't know what message he should request to be sent to Sarada, or if a message should be sent at all.

"It's okay, Sasuke-kun. I understand. I won't tell her anything. To be honest, I think she's already forgotten. She's as forgetful as you."

He heard the accusation is her remark and he look dumbfounded at her. "Have I... have I missed our anniversary again?" he asked, his voice low with caution and embarrassment.

"No... it's tomorrow actually..." she answered.

He had understood the meaning behind her words that went unspoken. She had meant _You really had to ask?_ He apologised with a kiss on her forehead. And then mumbled to her, "I know this is sudden, but I know a village near Konoha where we can get married again, renew our vows I mean, even though we didn't make any the first time. It'll only take an hour to travel, so we could go now and-"

She placed a hand on his chest, her fingers stroking the buttons of his waistcoat. "We don't need to do that," she whispered. "Because, even if you forget, I know how much I mean to you. And we have the rest of our lives to confess vows to each other. So... you don't need to worry. Because as you know, I love you, Sasuke-kun. I always have and I always will. And nothing could ever change that."

He brought her head towards his chest and they lay on a mattress of rubble under the starry sky. He asked her, "When do you need to pick Sarada up?" She responded with, "She's with Karui, having a sleepover with ChouChou. So I'll pick her up tomorrow morning."

"Who?"

"They're Cho- oh, it doesn't matter," she giggled into his chest, and the cracks in his heart slowly came towards each other, ready to close. Everything wasn't okay, but, the future ought to be bright - and he would do what he could to ensure it would be. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How many Taylor Swift references did you count? 
> 
> Did you get whiplash from this emotional rollercoaster of a chapter? Did I break your heart at any point? Let me know!


	18. Dayspring

The chill of the August air had dwindled away, and in its wake was left a temperature that was neither too hot nor too cold - it was almost just right. Almost. If you lingered too long outside, you would be able to notice the slight cracks in the perfect picture that was framed: the way the green leaves had already started to age and fall to their doom before summer was even over. If you stayed too long you may even notice how there were barely any stars visible held over a village where everything should be seen clearly, even in the night sky. But these cracks were only visible to those who stared for too long and too hard; for most, it was easier to turn away and never look back. 

But a husband and his wife stared at the sky, and they acknowledged their cracks, and they traced them with a delicate finger, hoping not to widen them, and committed them to memory. The stars twinkled back at them, but Sasuke could not find the usual starlight that would usually bring him home - maybe he would not see it for another decade, and that was if he was lucky, he mused. Each wink of the stars held promises of the future or held a glimpse of the past, as well as disclosing their secrets to anyone who dared look up and count the cracks - or was it stars? There were few enough. 

Pink hair tickled a chiseled jawline and only the rhythm of soft breaths could be heard. Only those beyond the blanket of swirling galaxies could know what time it was - whatever it was, it was definitely unholy, and possibly a time for only the hopeless and desperate to be awake. A time for those who sought answers in their prayers as they stared into oblivion into the night sky. It was a time for longing. 

"Make a wish, Sakura," came a whisper. 

"Huh?" The pink haired woman lifted her head up from her husband's chest and stared into an onyx eye. "I didn't see a shooting star?" 

His only response was to stroke her hair and plant a promise onto her forehead. The next thing she knew, her hair was being tugged as it caught itself in a tangle of hand signs before a burst of lightning burst into the sky and a thousand artificial stars lit up the night sky. 

He didn't care to look at his magnificent work, for the stars shined brightly in her eyes, and her face lit up and he almost thought it was dayspring. He was enchanted by the way her eyes danced as the specks of light flickered away, and the way her lips were left slightly parted in awe, almost as if demanding that they be caught by another. His heart sang her name, and his entire being was entranced by her presence. It was hard to believe she was of this earth. 

"Sakura..." he whispered. 

She finally regained her senses and looked back at him. Her eyes held grief and distrust but her mouth curled upwards to a smile anyway. "I remember you doing something similar at our wedding," she reflected in wonder. Her eyes flickered to her hands resting over his heart. "So much has happened since then... But, like you, no matter what, my heart would only ever belong to you, Sasuke. Only you. And... I know that in my heart I would continue to love you no matter what. Even if it kills me. Even if you make me want to hate you. I would still only ever love you." He wondered if she understood his feelings through the thumping of his pulse beneath her fingertips. For him, it was the same. He had pushed her away so many times, he could barely count how many - but the moment she had pushed him away, it was too much to bear and it overwhelmed him. She gave him life, and without her, the world would return to black and white, and no longer golden. 

He brought his hand to her chin and leaned closer until lips grazed each other. "What did you wish for, Sakura?" he whispered. 

"I think you already know," she whispered back. 

He turned his head away, and hearts did not connect through lips. He knew he couldn't fulfil her wish, or at least not anytime soon. He still needed to ensure the world was a safe place so that he could reclaim his position as head of the family and properly look after his daughter without any worries. He would do what he could to make that a reality, even if it cost him the rest of his life and he never got to see his daughter again... He only wanted the best for her. And that was all. His fingers found his wife's diamond seal, that sealed her strength away. _Maybe next time_. The familiar gesture was different to before - it now held an emotional weight of a vow that he will do his best to fix them - _but not tonight, Sakura. I'm sorry._

He continued to watch his wife as she played with the top button of his waistcoat with both hands like a child, agitated. "You still wear this," she mumbled. 

"Of course," he agreed. "But what's more surprising is that you still wear _this_." Sakura didn't need to turn her head around to know what he was referring to, for she could feel him fingering the Uchiha crest emblazoned on her medical jacket. 

"Hmm," she affirmed. "I had a few old patients call me Dr. Haruno in the market stalls so Sarada requested Tamaki to make a few medical jackets with your crest on it. That silly girl. Seriously, and Tamaki didn't even accept any payment! I'm still trying to figure out how to pay her back. I need to find the time to discuss with Kiba so-"

"You're wrong," Sasuke interrupted. "It's not my crest. It's ours." He shared a small smile with her as her cheeks transitioned into a rosy pink. He had missed having that affect on his wife. He had missed so much about her, and he knew he would only continue to. 

Her eyes suddenly widened as a thought flashed through her mind and she scrambled off him and hoisted herself up, mumbling to herself in a rush. "I need to go, Sasuke. I shouldn't be here. They'll be waiting. What time is it even? Oh my god, oh my god-"

"Sakura," he spoke. Her name was velvet on his tongue. "Don't go." His hand found one of hers as she towered over him. "Please." 

"Sasuke, I just left in the middle of supervising a surgery! I said I wouldn't be long! What if something's happened?! I can't stay here-" She attempted to draw her hand from his, but his grip was firm. 

"I also shouldn't be here, Sakura. I should be at Kirigakure right now, actually. Reporting to the Mizukage-"

Sakura gasped in alarm, "Then why-"

"For you. I just want you," he told her. "Sakura, stay. For one night, stay with me." 

"Sasuke! We can't just abandon our duties!"

Sasuke pulled Sakura back onto his lap, and counted the stray hairs that had found its way onto her face with his fingers. "If someone needed us, they'd contact us. So just for tonight, let's forget about everything else. Because..." He paused, wondering whether he should disclose his heart to Sakura, but her emerald eyes bore into him, expectantly waiting for him to finish, and so he continued, "It doesn't matter where I go... I only see you, Sakura. So, please, now that you're here... Let me look at my wife." 

Fluid spilled away from emerald and he wondered what he had said wrong now. His brows furrowed together and sent a wave of apologies her way for whatever sin he had committed now. She scrunched up his collar in both her fists and her face fell into his collarbone that hid beneath. "You..." she breathed out onto his skin, her voice trembling. "I always wondered as a child how it would feel to have you confess to me... but... now that you're mine... I always find myself collapsing into a mess..." 

The knot in his stomach that had formed fell away, and he cupped her chin up so he was staring at the stars again. "I love you," he whispered. 

She slammed a hand onto his chest as more tears ran free down her face. "Did you just hear what I said? You really are an idiot," she scolded. 

He chuckled softly before catching her lips in his. This kiss meant so much, he knew. It unfolded into confessions over apologies, but mostly, it translated into gratitude. He had found his home again. They both broke it off as they gasped for air. He felt her lips lightly on his collarbone and his hand crept along her waist. 

"I'm really impressed with what you did with the house, Sakura," he joked, softly. 

She stopped planting love along his neck and she looked up at him. "And I see you've really become accustomed to the art of telling jokes," she responded dryly. 

He smiled down at her. "It must be all the time I spend talking to Aoda," he entertained her. 

"You talk?" she quipped, with a raised eyebrow. 

His smile curled down into a frown. "Don't make fun of me," he pouted. But that only earned a chuckle from Sakura. 

Attempting to change the subject he asked her, genuinely curious, "So how did you pay for the new house? We used up the remaining inheritance a while ago. Thanks to that bastard, Naruto."

She worried on her lower lip before answering him. "I had to take out a loan - I'm still putting my funds into Sarada's future account, like we agreed. I noticed you put in quite a lot too recently..."

"Hn." 

And so they stayed like that, within each other's embrace for a few more hours. Feeling each other's toned arms and bodies as they clung together in desperation, and listening to each other's heartbeats which soothed the other like a long lost lullaby. And it was like that they slowly drifted off to sleep in the other's arms. The ship had weathered through storms, but it was now that it had found land, but alas, it was quicksand. 

The sun peeked through the cracks between the leaves, and the light of the sky greeted them. The birds tweeted their morning songs and the plants swayed in rhythm with the orchestration of the wind. Sakura shifted beneath Sasuke's lone arm, and he eventually stirred awake too. 

"I really do have to go now, Sasuke," Sakura said, her voice delicate as her emotions. 

"Thank you for staying," Sasuke said in a similar manner.

Despite their farewells, Sakura still did not move, presumably wanting to spend as much time as she could with her husband. 

"When can I see you again?" Sasuke asked. 

"That depends on you, no?" Sakura asked, head still resting on a sculpted clothed chest. 

"Hm, let me know whenever you're at the house alone. Or if you ever leave the village, let me know. I'll assign one of my hawks to you so you can always reach me. I'll continue to write to you-" He paused when he heard Sakura mutter something under her breath, he swore he had heard the word 'romantic'. He fought to hide his smirk and continued. "But you can't tell anyone about us. Not Ino, not anyone. Like you, I also don't want rumours spreading about us, lest they reach Sarada. The rumours would only do more damage than good." 

She sighed deeply into him. "You Uchiha's really do love deeply, hm?" she pondered. 

"You would know," he replied. "You are an Uchiha after all." The corner of his lip tugged upwards as he saw her cheeks tint pink. 

She took this as a cue to finally disentangle herself from her husband, and dust off the grime of bricks on her clothes. "I'm going to go take a shower and do some chores before I pick Sarada up. Do you want to come over? I can make you breakfast and show you around the house." 

He looked at her and all her beauty and replied, "That won't be necessary. I'll be leaving soon anyway." He didn't want to get attached to a house he knew he wouldn't be able to call properly 'home'. It seemed that she understood, as she turned her head away and made her way down the hill. The leaves danced their way to him, but amidst all the chatter of leaves, all he heard was, "Goodbye, Sasuke-kun. I'll see you soon, my love." 

He watched as she left, and he counted each step she took. He wondered if she knew how much he needed her now, everyday, every moment. She was all he needed. _Happy anniversary, Sakura._

***

The petals swirled in a lazy dance as a man took care not to trample over them as he trudged along a path so foreign yet so familiar. It was still the same sun that hovered above him and the same earth that greeted under him, yet what lay sandwiched in between was a land he had never previously collided with. The water that ran down the stream was a suspicious mint green, and the voluptuous yellow, but red-tipped fruits that hung from the trees stole his attention. It was winter, so how had this land been able to bear such rare fruit that no other mortal man had seen? 

The island which Sasuke was investigating was isolated, and it was said that any man that had taken foot inside had never returned. Sasuke had found this land by chance; he had still been occupied in his own personal mission, one that even the Hokage knew nothing about - one which he had put on himself from the information he had gathered from Ibiki all those years ago. His mind flashed back to a conversation with Ibiki soon after Sasuke and his new family had returned to the Leaf: 

_"The Head Medic had informed that I should be expecting you. I guess it was only a matter of time," declared the notorious interrogator. Sasuke's cloak swept the floor as he padded towards the older man with his own cloak hanging off from him, as he peered outside the large windows of the Interrogation Unit building. "You've come a long way since me and the Hokage released you out of your prison cell after your trial. You've really become an asset to the shinobi world. A true ally we can rely upon."_

_Sasuke fell beside Ibiki but said nothing, agreeing that this view was indeed a stunning one as he also looked out onto the rest of Konoha._

_"But I also see that you're still a man of not many words," Ibiki chuckled. "I can respect that."_

_Ibiki finally turned to face Sasuke's stoic exterior, and his own tone and expression became serious again. "You're here because you want to know more about Haruko. The woman that did her research on you so she could impersonate your now wife and seduce you into becoming vulnerable so she could steal your ocular abilities. But when that failed, her and her team targeted your unborn child, deciding that would be easier, despite being longer - as it would have required grooming the child so they could use her to their advantage._

_"I know all about it, since it was me who interrogated her accomplice. From what I've gathered, your suspicions are correct - the knowledge of your child has been passed onto many notorious criminals who had also been recruited into taking your child, should Haruko and her small group had failed. They're constantly moving, so I cannot say for sure where they are at this present time. But one thing's for sure-"_

_"-they wouldn't attack Konoha," Sasuke finished, relief etched into his pupils._

_Ibiki nodded. "With you and Naruto here, no one would ever dare," Ibiki affirmed._

_And once again, Sasuke had found himself feeling grateful towards his best friend for his mere existence. This had meant that if there was ever a time that Sasuke had to leave the village again, he was confident that the village would be kept safe. His family would be safe._

And so, now that Sasuke was taking on the Five Great Village's requests of hunting down S-rank criminals, Sasuke also had been doing his own research, and eventually hunting down anyone who posed a risk to Sarada's future. It was two days prior that he had heard that one of these men had travelled to an island which was cast off, save for those who had a death wish, and those who were sent to exile - for none of these people ever returned. Despite the warnings of the old hag by the tomato stalls, Sasuke decided he would take a look for himself and hunt down the bastard who dared threaten his daughter's peace. Even if it meant following him to the ends of the earth, such as the depths of a forbidden island. And this was where he found himself now, standing on the edge as he looked down into the pits of hell as he spied magma cradling human skeleton remains. 

Sasuke's raven-haired bangs parted as they made their path for the _rinnengan_ to spiral into effect, taking in every little detail as it analysed the scenery splayed in front him, and that was when he saw it. There was no way of mistaking it. The white specks twinkled back at him, and he knew what he had to. White Zetsu cells. They were littered all over the fragments of human bones, and as Sasuke tore his gaze away, and onto the rest of the island, he realised it had infested everything. The humid temperature had probably played its part, assisting the cells into infesting the whole island, and onto anything that had decided to make its home there. The river was tainted in it, and that had ensured everything else was too, from the plants, to the animals. Sasuke looked up into clear skies above him, and blew out a dragon flame into it. Instantly, clouds had gravitated towards him. His attention was then directed to the oozing magma below him, he activated his _amaterasu_ and initiated the start of the molten rock inside the volcano to start melting. It was only a matter of time before the whole island became a pudding of magma. Sasuke jumped down and scrunched the purple flower petals beneath him, feeling the hot air gather around him like a swarm of bees. He directed his lone hand from the sky... and swiftly brought down a charge of lightning from the dark clouds onto the river of water, killing everything within its grasp. The ground beneath his feet had started to vibrate, causing pebbles to tap dance, and the magma had started to boil at the top of the volcano. A dark purple vortex opened up in front of Sasuke at his command, and he jumped through, not wanting to watch his artwork unfold. 

Sasuke landed in a field of sand, the sun gracing his figure with his own shadow that fell beside him. The desert that encircled Suna was comforting in some ways, as he could feel the heat of the sun even below him, but alas, he found himself missing the spring that followed him everywhere else, even in the winter. Sasuke dropped himself onto the bed of sand, and allowed his dreams to take him away... 

He was awakened with a drilling on his head. He pried his eyes open to find the messenger hawk he had assigned to his wife perched upon his head as it pecked his forehead, willing him awake. Sasuke sat up to confirm that the hawk had his attention, and the hawk flew down onto Sasuke's left arm. Using his right, he peeled open the letter that was embraced in a pink ribbon, and the corner of his lip swirled upwards to form a smirk as his eyes scanned the letter. 

_My dear husband,_

_Thank you for taking care of us, even if you are far. I know what you do pains you as much as it does me, for you have been apart from me for twenty three days too long, but I only find myself loving you more with each letter you write, so you don't need to worry. I still love you. Every letter of yours is a secret I treasure, and I know you told me to burn them after I read them, but I always find myself tearing up as I do so. I don't want to lose another part of you. No. I only want to learn and gain more of you. And so it is why I count the days until I next see you._

_I hope you have received this well, for it is tomorrow that Sarada starts public school. She's only three, but I swear she's growing up so fast. I don't have a shift tomorrow. Come by if you can._

_I miss you._

_Only yours,_

_Your dearest wife._

He memorised every detail with his _sharingan_ , before allowing his black flames to consume the letter. The plans he had made to meet up with a shady looking character tomorrow? Cancelled. The report he would have to write for the Tsuchikage? It would have to wait. Sasuke had other plans. 

Sasuke spent the rest of that day searching for flowers amidst the middle of winter. He jumped from town to village, in hopes of searching for a flower which had defied all odds, and had bloomed in a season where all hope was lost. He searched high and low, but even the buds at florists did not have the same glow in it that his wife had. None were worthy of her. Just when it he had thought it was futile, and he was beginning to give up, it had occurred to him that nothing of this world was really comparable to her... save for the bountiful cherry blossoms that grew in spring, of course. And so he made his way into a desert of a different world. Using his majestic abilities, his purple eye scanned the barren land until he found life: and there it stood in all its beauty. A single rare white flower, the tips dyed in blue, it was the perfect embodiment of purity. Just like his Sakura. He delicately plucked it, and made his way back to earth. 

The remaining events of the day included Sasuke washing his clothes in a river, and raking his hair with his fingers as he attempted to look the best he could for his wife. He remembered their last encounter in an alley way near Konoha hospital some time past midnight, and how she had been scolding him for not taking care of himself. He remembers how gentle her fingers were as she tugged the twigs out of his hair and how her forehead creased as she frowned at his shirt as she had taken his cloak off. He remembered how rough her hands felt as she held his own callused one, and examined it with her keen eyes, but how soft her lips felt as he shut her up with his own. He savoured the way their tongues mingled together in a dance, and how she eventually rested her rosy head onto his chest as she sighed into him. He had ingrained into his mind how he had been watching tentatively as she had been listening to his heartbeat sing her name as he cradled her waist as he leaned against the wall. He remembered her sweet, sweet voice as she whispered, _"I love you, Sasuke-kun,"_ into his chest, and how her silky tresses felt beneath his lone hand. He remembered her. And she was indeed the only sweet thing he could handle. And so he journeyed throughout the night, meaning to keep the delicate flower in his satchel fresh and pure, flicking from tree to tree, hoping to make it in time to Konoha, to find his wife. Alone. 

***

It was 9am when he arrived outside the new house, despite Sakura and Sarada having been living there for a few months, it was still new to Sasuke. The only time he had set foot inside the house was when he had returned to reclaim his position in Sakura's heart four months prior. All the other times he had met her, he had avoided coming inside the house, and had only met her in shadows of the village during the day, or beneath the blanket of the night sky under the shade of a building. He had maintained his demeanour at remaining inconspicuous, and had ensured that no one knew of their visits, not even Naruto or Kakashi. He would be careful to hide his chakra signature, knowing that a slight waver would alert Ino, the head of the Yamanaka clan, immediately, and his cover would be blown. 

Here he was, perched upon an evergreen tree with the leaves sheltering his form as he spied into the house. He didn't sense any movement inside, and so he assumed that Sakura was out. However, he did notice that her bedroom window had been left open - wide enough for a seasoned shinobi to move in and out without being detected. He closed his eyes and smiled to himself, knowing that that had been deliberate on Sakura's part. He took her unspoken invitation, and made his way into the bedroom. 

He took in his surroundings, for this was the first time he had actually given himself a chance to look around. The previous time, he only had eyes for the Uchiha matriarch. The walls were a hot pink and were decorated with medical notes pinned against their will. The wardrobe was a new, smaller white furniture that sat alongside a similarly designed bookshelf, that adorned an empty glass vase. It was there that he decided to rest his single declaration of love, the white and blue contrasting with the rest of room with a heavenly glow. He made his way to the wardrobe, and opened it, fingering each lace and skirt, and taking in her scent. Buried beneath piles of clothes in the attaching drawer he found an old perfume bottle he had once gifted her - there were only a few droplets left, which had left him feeling satisfied. He brought the bottle to the tip of his nose and closed his eyes as the scent of her whole being engulfed him, and left him feeling as if a whole garden was sprouting in his stomach. He buried the bottle back under her garments and closed the drawer and the wardrobe. It was in the mirror that he had finally noticed. How had he not realised before? His brows knitted together in what could only be described as a pang of disappointment. He turned around to confirm the contents of the mirror, and found that it was true, it was real. He felt insulted. He trudged towards the bed and felt the pink fluffy blankets beneath his fingertips, and traced the bedding until it reached the pillows. The single pillow was even more menacing to look at. He pulled back the blanket and decided he would have to teach his wife a lesson. How dare she purchase a single bed? True, they had finally agreed that he would no longer be part of the family in the traditional sense, but still. She was still his wife. Where was the evidence that she had been longing for him? He unclasped his cloak and let it fall to the floor, and threw down his waistcoat and and shirt straight after. He looked around the room again and realised that there was no trace of the Uchiha crest anywhere, save for her clothes which had been neatly lined up inside the wardrobe. But if someone did not go snooping, how would they know at a quick glance that she was even married? His frown grew deeper as he propped himself beneath the blanket, and sat up whilst he waited. And waited. 

Two hours must have passed, whilst the Uchiha patriarch had sat up in his wife's single bed, brooding about how he would punish his wife. It may have been two hours, but it felt like two years. His fist had been gripping the fluff of the blanket so hard that some of it had already begun to tear off. He was still thinking about how he would pin Sakura underneath him once she made her way to him when he heard movement downstairs: the front door had been opened and then closed. He braced himself for when she would finally appear in the doorway and fling her arms around him with a rosy blush on her cheeks. But another hour had passed and she had still not made her way upstairs. Had she even remembered she had a husband? Sasuke clenched his teeth in frustration, and he finally lost control. He brought out his katana and flung it across the room so it landed on the door, leaving a dent as it stuck itself into the door horizontally, like an arrow finding itself in a boar. 

The sudden action caused a pair of legs to rush upstairs and fling the door open, her fist was encased in chakra, ready to attack, when she realised who was the culprit. Her fist fell beside her as she greeted him, "Oh. I forgot I asked you to come." 

Was that it? 

No _'W_ _elcome home, Sasuke-kun.'_

No _'I missed you, darling.'_

No ' _Thank you for coming, my love_. _'_

Just.... _"I forgot I asked you to come"_? 

He hid his anger well beneath his stoic expression and watched as she turned her attention away from him, and had started to dig his katana out of her bedroom door all the while muttering nonsense. 

"Sorry, I've had so much on my mind. Since the peace of the shinobi world - thanks to us, but especially you and Naruto of course - children as young as three aren't expected to join the Academy. Instead, there's a public school in each village which children join, and when children are about the age of eleven they can enrol in the Academy. But even after they graduate, it won't necessary mean that they have to choose the path of the shinobi. Or at least that's what Naruto said today at the school entrance ceremony. He's really groomed himself into becoming a fine future Hokage..." 

He watched as she began folding the clothes from the laundry basket, and gracefully put them away as she continued talking about God knows what. He noticed the red shiny headband planted atop her pink head which he had bestowed upon her, and his mismatched eyes followed her long locks down until... he had noticed that it no longer fell beyond her waist, but now stopped midway her back, so it just about covered the family crest on her green knitted jumper. He wished she would come closer so he could measure with his hands how much she had cut in his absence. If she came to him, he wouldn't be able to stop himself from using his good arm to feel her lower back which now had been freed from a curtain of pink. But alas, there she stood, tidying up her notes from the wall and arranging them in files before hiding them away in a filing cabinet. Did she really think he cared if the room was a bit of a mess? 

"...And so all the parents had to stay for a couple of hours as it's the first day, and the children may need help settling in. But you know our Sarada, she's always been quite independent, she told me I didn't need to stay but I could tell she was really pleased that I was there. Actually... she was the only child with only one parent present... but I told her 'Papa' - I mean, you - would be proud of her..." And on and on she went. Did she ever shut up? Sasuke was growing more frustrated by the second. Using his teeth, he tore off his fingerless glove and flung it towards Sakura. She caught it in mid-air without looking, and started inspecting it as soon as she realised what it was. "Oh!" she exclaimed. "I see you've finally been taking care of your belongings! I know that Sarada would be pleased if she knew." Sakura sighed and lowered her voice. "I really am glad you're home," she contemplated. "I've been meaning to discuss a few things with you actually..." 

_"Sakura"_ , he growled. Sakura placed the fingerless glove atop the filing cabinet and finally looked towards her husband. As she looked upon his bare chest a warm smile graced her lips, and it somewhat subsided his anger. "Come," he simply said. 

His eyes followed her every move as her white denim jeans led her towards the night stand and picked up a medical book which had a pencil tucked inside in place of a bookmark, and as she sat on the foot of the bed. With one hand, she opened the book and rested it on her lap, never taking her gaze away from the non-fiction text whilst the other removed the blanket that was covering her husband's lower body. Her left hand continued to stroke his own black trousers, etching random patterns onto him soothingly, all the while her attention was focused elsewhere. Sasuke couldn't make up his mind at whether he should be pissed or aroused that Sakura was finally tending to his needs but simultaneously, still ignoring his presence. So he continued to watch her, like a vulture watches its prey before it strikes. 

Although he knew her hands he was so proud of was rough from saving so many lives, they were still gentle as she touched him, sending tingles throughout the rest of his body leaving him feeling dazed. He watched as her green orbs strained in concentration and how her lips puckered as she read from the book in her lap. He noticed how her green fleece hung loosely over her shoulders, so he could see the white of her skin peeking under, and he imagined himself tracing the shadow that was formed from her collar bone with kisses. And finally, he saw how she removed her left hand from him and hold the book steady as her right picked up the pencil to scribble some notes down on the page she was reading. How dare she leave him hanging like this? Was that _book_ really that much more fascinating than him? He flung his feet off the bed, and pouted when she did not react to his change in position. He then edged closer to her until she had no choice but to lean against his bare chest, and his arm encircled her body until he was holding her right elbow lightly. 

"Sakura," he whispered seductively into her ear. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?" 

"Hm?" Was all she said. She continued scribbling down notes, leaving her husband fuming behind her. Sasuke reached out for the book and thew it across the room, leaving Sakura startled as she looked up at him wide eyes, mouth agape. "Sasuke!" she expressed in bewilderment. "What are you doing?! That's a rare edition! You don't know how long it took me to find that-mmph-" His lips clamped around hers and he tasted her cherry gloss lips under his, losing himself in her as he had dreamt for so long. His hand found her chin and he cupped it and lifted her face closer towards his just as he felt her attempting to pull away. She finally gave in, and just as passionately kissed him back with full force. They were lost within each other, and it was as if time was a concept they could not fathom - was it sunset, midday or dayspring? He eventually gave her time to grasp for air, and he knew his face was mirroring the light blush that lit up her whole face. She wouldn't meet his gaze, and instead her eyes fell upon his toned chest that was heaving up and down steadily, as if he had finally found his place in the world. They were so close he could count the pink eyelashes that were painted in black mascara under him. 

"I told you to come to bed," he rasped at her. 

"What?" she asked, tilting her head up she could look at his onyx eye. "I thought you could do with the rest... You must be so tired."

"So you asked me to come here so you could watch me sleep?" he scrutinised. 

"No! I- It's just-" He narrowed his eyes as she started twirling her hair. "Of course I want to spend time with you, Sasuke-kun, but your well-being is important. I just wanted to make sure you feel good. I just want you safe."

His heart softened at her words, and so did his face. He planted a soft kiss on the parting of her hair, and he hoped she knew what it meant. _Thank you, Sakura._

"I know another way you can make me feel good," he hushed to her diamond seal. He pulled away only to find her blush had become more prominent, forming a smirk to grace his lips. He tugged on her elbow and whispered, "Come." 

"B-but, Sasuke-kun, there's only space for one person..."

A single black brow rose as he asked, "And whose fault is that?" 

She blinked, as it finally sunk in what had been bothering him. "D-don't look at me like that! You had made your choice back then, and when I bought this house it was meant as a brand new start... without you... and so... I'm sorry. But whilst you're here, the bed is all yours! I promise I won't disturb you."

Sasuke exhaled at her confession, and his hand fell away from her. He moved away from her and reclaimed his position at the top of the bed, bringing his legs over the blanket behind Sakura, and he allowed his head to rest atop the light pink pillow. "Disturb me."

"What?" Sakura's head snapped towards Sasuke. 

"You heard. We can share the bed."

"B-but there's no space!"

He gestured towards himself, and muttered, "There is." 

Her face transitioned into a deep red and she buried her flustered face into her hands. Her reaction amused him at first, but when she didn't budge from that position he became anxious, alarmed even. "Sakura, what's wrong?" he asked, as his brows knitted together. 

Her voice was muffled as she spoke into her hands, and so he leaned over and removed her left arm and urged her to repeat himself with a ,"What?"

She looked at her white lap and mumbled, "I-I don't think I can-" she stammered.

"Why not?" he asked, concerned. 

"It-it's been so long, Sasuke since we... I don't think I'll be able to stop blushing... I'm sorry. I could barely handle it when you k-kissed me. You're too much to be around..."

"Sakura, we're married," he reminded her. She started fidgeting and whispered, "I know."

"We have a daughter." She turned her face towards him and bit her lip. 

"We've done this many times before, so what's the problem?" And the red reappeared. 

"I'll be gentle." She considered this for a moment as her eyes flickered to the side and then back to himself. 

"Okay," she agreed in a hushed whisper. 

His mismatched eyes followed her every movement as she warily made her way towards him. She was crawling on the bed and fell into his chest until pink hair splayed across him like threads sprouting from one source, until it fanned out gracefully. His hand weaved through her hair, and he allowed his fingers to dive down her shortened locks until he felt no more, and he murmured to her, "You cut your hair." 

She was kneading her own fingers against his stump, but had stopped when he said this. She looked up at him, and muttered, "Oh, you noticed? Do you like it? There used to be a rumour that-"

"Sakura," he interrupted. "You've already told me about that."

"Oh yeah," she said sheepishly. "And you've already denied that. Sorry." 

"Don't be sorry," he muttered to her. "Don't ever be sorry. You have nothing to be sorry for." His hand continued to caress her back, until he found the hem of her knitted jumped. He tugged on it, and she slowly lifted herself off him so he could pull it off. When she lowered herself back down he kissed her newly exposed skin, and in between kisses he whispered to her, "You... Sakura... You... My wife... you have always... given me... everything... so don't.... Don't... Apologise... There's nothing... you've done... that requires apology..."

He felt Sakura push his face away from her navel and she forced him to look at her as she held his jaw. Her cheeks were flushed in pink. "Sasuke, my love. You've also given me everything," she told him, green beady eyes glinting at him. He could see her confidence slowly flickering into life as she looked at him with adoration. "So please, let's only give each other more." 

Those words of hers cast a spell onto the two of them, and soon enough, they got lost in a trance that bound them together, limb by limb, mouth to mouth. However, despite the air of confidence that had supported her wish, she was still shy to his every touch, and as promised, she flushed a deep red no matter what he did or said. Eventually, he found his own body laying on hers, his head resting on her mound of skin that held a deep love for him beneath. Their fingers were still locked together as he whispered to her, "Thank you, Sakura." 

She clearly knew what he meant by those words as he saw her flush creep down over her breasts until it encased her, and with her free hand she found his mop of black hair. "I love you too, Sasuke-kun," she whispered back, trying to contain the squeal that was threatening to escape. 

He had felt accomplished for being able to make her all flustered against him, but still, it was strange how she was reacting to him. And so he voiced his thoughts aloud. "Sakura," he said, adjusting the angle of his face so he was now looking up at her tinted cheeks. "You're so shy today", he chuckled lightly. "You've never been like this... not even the first time, do you remember?" A dark brow perked up as he awaited her response. 

She puckered her lips and her own brows furrowed, followed by her forehead creasing. "How could I forget? You left me straight after to pick up the pieces."

His whole body tensed up at the memory and he closed his eyes and inhaled and exhaled deeply, before letting go of her fingers and rolling off of her until he was sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at the carpeted floor. She must have immediately regretted her choice of words as he felt her tender arms encircle his bare waist, and her face nuzzling into the back of his neck. 

"I'm sorry, Sasuke. I shouldn't have-"

"No, I deserved that," he consoled her. "I've hurt you too many times." He sighed. Why did she even love him? Why did she continue to fight for their marriage? Why did she always let him back in? His trail of thoughts was interrupted by a faint cry of, "Please don't leave me again, Sasuke. Not like that." 

He sprung away from the bed in alarm and turned around to look at her, his eyes wide with distress. He kneeled down until he was at her level and cupped her face. "Are you still afraid of that?" he asked in a strained whisper. "Are you afraid that I would leave you, just like that? Do you think that I just want to use your body for my own selfish desires?" He studied her face and searched for answers but only found sadness in the way her lips drooped down, and what he interpreted as pain in the way her eyes wouldn't meet his. "Is that why you found it difficult to... to make love to me?" He edged his face closer to hers until noses almost touched. "Tell me Sakura. I need an answer. Please."

She sighed and brought her hand up to hold his onto her cheek, and finally looked at him. "No, you've got it wrong... That's not-"

"Then was is it?" he asked impatiently.

She bit her lip before confessing, "I guess I've just... I guess I've just become used to being alone. All I have for company at night are my dreams and thoughts about you... So much so that when you're actually here, it's hard for me to get to grips into reality because... well, you're just so perfect, Sasuke-kun. And sometimes I can't help feeling that I don't deserve you, you know? When I look at Sarada... it's a bittersweet feeling. I miss you and love you all the same when I look at her and am reminded of you, and it just hurts. It still hurts. So when you're here with me, I don't want to let you go... Am I even making sense?" 

Her jumbled up confession had left him with all sorts of feelings, but one overriding feeling was of relief. He was relieved that his fears were not founded. "No," he answered. In truth, he had understood her, and he himself harboured similar feelings. "But Sakura," he replied. "It's not you who doesn't deserve me, it's me who doesn't deserve you." He shared his secret smile with her and she blushed prettily, her eyelashes coming down to shield her eyes like a curtain. His lips found hers, and when they parted he stood up and drew her up with him, hands locked together once again. 

He pulled her into a hug, and whispered faintly into her ear, "I love you." He could feel the trickle of droplets slide down his sculpted front, and he only held her tighter. He whispered it again, albeit a little louder, but this time instead of tears he heard a "Stupid", being muttered into his chest, but he also felt her arms tighten around his own self. He was finding it hard to breathe. 

"Sakura," he wheezed. "You're crushing me."

She instantly let go and took a step back. "Sorry! You're just such a tease and so adorab- Ah! I remembered what I wanted to tell you!" 

He beckoned her on with a raised brow. "Sarada finally asked about me kissing you!" she blurted out. 

"What... did you say?" he asked slowly, wary of her answer. 

She brought out her index and middle finger out and poked him in the forehead with a wide grin. He blushed, and immediately turned around before she could notice. He started walking around the bed until he found his cloak and picked it up and brought it back around the bed and draped himself and Sakura in it and brought her towards the bed again. He held her beneath his cloak as he listened to her tell him of what he had missed. "She's honestly so cute! Every facial expression of hers reminds me of you, I just want to squeeze her so tight! But she was so sad... again, I tried to explain to her that you do care about us and you're away for our sake... but I don't think she actually understood." 

Sasuke's heart clenched as he imagined his little angel scrunching up her face as she asked about him, memories of them slowly fading away. "...She definitely doesn't remember all those times you guys chased those cats together," Sakura continued. "When I asked if she's seen those cats lately, she said she doesn't know what I'm talking about. Her memory is really hazy... but it's weird though. I'm not sure if she remembers THAT incident, you know, when her and Naruto walked in on us... that one time... but what indicated to me that she might is that she used the word 'pervy' again! According to Hinata, Naruto, that dufus, shares his stories about 'Pervy Sage' quite often so that's probably where she picked that up from..." Sasuke's heart clenched even tighter. He knew for certainty that Sarada had no trace of that memory of her parents from that embarrassing day, but it wasn't a surprise that she still knew the context of the word 'pervy', especially if she had been exposed to that word prior to that one evening he had used his _sharingan_ on her. Sakura still didn't know. He hadn't been able to bring it up to her even after all this time. He had already broken their family, and it had almost broken beyond repair, he wouldn't risk it again. And so he continued with his secrets. 

"Oh Sasuke, I meant what I said in my last letter. I understand that you're worried that if someone gets hold of our letters or the pictures I send you then they'll know even more about Sarada than they already do. But... to think that you've had to burn all those pictures... I wish there was a different way."

"Then stop."

"Hm?"

"Stop sending me Sarada's pictures. If it's hurting you, just don't."

She laced her arm around his and then rested her head on his shoulder. "But are you sure, darling? Then you _really_ won't see her get to grow up. Are you sure you're okay with that?"

"If it keeps her safe, yes," he confirmed. 

She kissed his shoulder. "I wish she knew how much you loved her." 

But what Sasuke didn't tell her is that he also felt as if he had no right to see pictures of his daughter grow up. An absent father had no right. It wouldn't be fair. Why should he see her if she can't see him? It was another form of punishment for him, like his refusal for a new left arm, to remind himself of his sins. 

He wasn't really worthy to sunbathe in the light of the dawn - in the dayspring. But for now, he would hold his wife, and hear her stories. 

"Sakura", he had once again rudely interrupted whatever she was saying - something about how Sarada's place in school was only part-time until April. "When you moved in here, did you leave the painting of the Uchiha crest?" 

"Eh?! Why would I do that?!" she exclaimed. "No! That means so much to me. And Sarada, too. Even if I had wanted to part with it, I'm pretty sure your daughter wouldn't have let me-"

"Where is it?" he asked. 

She smiled sweetly at him before gesturing towards his hand wrapped tightly around her waist. "Well, if you let me get dressed I could take you downstairs and show you. It's in our living room, you can't miss it." She winked at him. 

"Okay," he breathed out. He slowly snuck his hand away from her glowing skin but then planted his hand on the flat of her head and brought their foreheads together as his cloak was still wrapped around them. He closed his eyes and said, "But first, let's stay like this a little longer."

Sakura giggled, "Okay, Sasuke-kun." But to his dismay he felt her shift against him and her head landed on his shoulder again. "Thank you, Sasuke." 

"For what?" 

"For the flower." She gestured towards the single flower in the vase sitting opposite them with a nod of her head. "Unlike you, I can be specific when I thank you," she teased. She brought his attention to the flower again. "A rare beauty like that... I can only imagine that it symbolises our love. And look at how the blue colouring of the petals against the white are subtly connected all around. It's like our family, don't you think?" As usual, he was impressed with her observational skills as he had only noticed the blue on the outer tips of the petals, and not on the rim that inked the edges of the flower. 

"Ah," he agreed. "We're connected, Sakura." 


	19. Kindle

The December midday sun loomed high above a village hidden in the leaves, every carved rock glistening under the sun as the people of the village huddled along in their scarves, coats and gloves. Somewhere in the village, a crowd of three-year-olds were sitting inside a school building, attempting to learn and understand the twelve different months through a song although a dozen of them had dozed off into a nap after their lunch. A raven-haired girl counted how many months until her birthday, hoping that her father would return and grace her with his presence. For if he didn't, then maybe her mother's words of comfort were all but lies, and she was not loved by a man she barely knew as her Papa... 

Elsewhere in the village, an older man had also dozed off into a nap. Pink hair tickled his cheek and shoulder, and despite the cold air, the man only felt warmth. He stirred awake when he felt the absence of the silky locks. Before him stood his bare wife who was rummaging through her drawers. She turned her head back to face him when he cleared his throat. 

"Oh! Sasuke! I didn't mean to wake you," she apologised. "I'm going to quickly have a shower, and then I can serve you some lunch?"

He stared at her with his infamous stoic expression and asked, "How long was I asleep for?" 

"Just a few minutes," she answered as she took her new clothes and left the room. 

Sasuke looked around the room and then at himself and decided that he also needed to shower. He opened the bedroom door and was greeted with white walls on either side of him. He followed the path the walls and tiles made for him until he found a door with a sign hanging off from it that read in childish red writing, 'Sarada rom. Do nt distab'. He hovered outside the room, his hand hovering over the doorknob, wondering whether he should intrude the room and inspect how much his daughter's tastes had changed in the couple of months that he had not seen her, but then thought better of it. He turned away and continued following the path of the corridor when he came to another closed door. 

He opened it slowly and found hot steam escape onto his face. He could barely see anything due to the cloud of steam which had surfaced and the condensation which had clouded the windows and mirrors. But he could still make out his wife's slim form that had her arms over her head as she washed her hair. He found his way to herself and ignored her shrieks and pleas. He simply washed himself and left her pink-faced with embarrassment. He made his way back to the bedroom after stealing a long white towel for himself and picked up the book he had thrown earlier. He picked up their clothes and placed his wife's in the laundry basket whilst he folded his and placed them on the night stand. He then turned his attention to the bed and stripped the covers off, and they too found their place in the laundry basket. 

He then made his way around the house, eventually finding the stairs that led him downstairs, and suddenly he was standing outside the living room that his wife spoke of. On the wall opposite, perched above the fireplace was the house-warming present gifted by Sai, an additional member of Team 7: the Uchiha crest. He lost himself in the red curves, his mind flickering to other red curves he loved so much. This crest no longer just symbolised himself or of his late family, or of the rest of his deceased clan; no, now it was also a symbol of life, love and hope. Sakura and Sarada. They were the ones who now proudly wore this crest on their backs, and he couldn't be prouder. His eyes softened at the thought, and he barely registered that his said wife was standing next to him until she nudged closer and circled her hands around his lone arm. 

He looked down and found her smiling up at him, her green eyes ardent with bliss. "You didn't have to do all that. Upstairs, I mean," she said, her voice light with amusement. "I could have cleaned up."

He smiled down at her and said, "Sakura. I'm home." 

He watched as her eyes lit up and a pretty 'o' painted her lips, until she replied with a pleasant sigh, "Welcome home, Sasuke-kun." 

In her white bathrobe she dragged Sasuke across the landing until they came upon the kitchen. She pushed him into a seat on the dining table. And it was there that they feasted, communicating with stolen glances, blushes and shy touches, almost as if they were falling in love all over again. Almost as if all their history had been erased and he had been given a new chance - a clean new slate. Maybe they could start from the beginning, brand new. If only... But life wasn't as easy as that. There were no brand new starts - second, third and fourth chances still had the ghost of the past haunting every flicker of light, casting a shadow over every cobblestones that was graced in daylight. Even if he had redeemed himself from some of his sins, regret still hung over him, like a bad odour that would not pass, no matter how much you bathed or sprayed expensive perfume over it. He was stuck beneath the weight of his own mistakes, but at least, right now, in this very moment, he had her. And she was the light that kindled him in the darkness. 

***

A rustling in the leaves, and on and on he went. The blades of grass beneath him stuck to his ankles, as if begging for him to stay. _"Don't leave me!"_ they seemed to cry out. But he had to keep going. On and on. With a spark of a _chidori_ in hand, he stayed on his pursuit of his prey. As quick as lightning, he struck down thirty of the missing-nin and the once multicoloured land was now plastered in red. Sasuke planted himself gently onto a branch and looked down at the once beautiful land: it was another thing he had tarnished, another thing tainted by his hand. Sasuke brought out his pen and paper and inked a letter to Kakashi, informing him that the deed had been done. 

Sasuke cast a _genjutsu_ over the semi-conscious missing-nin as promised, and continued with his travels. As the orange flow of the sky melted away and silver and dark blue overtook its reign, Sasuke sat beneath the full moon with a myriad of blossoms surrounding him, covering a vast land that stretched out as long as the ocean. It was March 31st, and the fourth year in a a row that he had missed his daughter's birthday. She would be seven today. He wondered how much she had changed. Did she still so closely resemble him, or with age, had her mother's genes bloomed and surfaced? He had last seen the mother of his child only three days prior, on her own birthday. He had come with clothes that were small enough for a seven year old, and Sakura had teased him saying that she was a bit too big for those clothes. It was the same joke each year, but it never seemed to get old to Sakura, something which amused him. 

Sasuke looked around his surroundings, and found that every distinct flower spoke to him, reminding him of the last four years... 

The first flower that caught his eye was an orange aloe flower, the flower of affection but grief. It was fitting for him, truly. 

*** 

_Aloe_

The orange spikes of the aloe flowers reminded the once lone Uchiha of another orange being with spikes: his best friend, Naruto. His best friend, who at one point had taught him the meaning of daylight and how to forge a new path of light for himself. Eventually the raven-haired man had decided that he needed time to see the world in this new light his friend envisioned, before following the road that led towards a heart surrounded by pink blossoms. It was the path of light that Sasuke walked four years prior, that led him towards the Hokage's office where he was accompanied by his friend who referred to himself as the 'orange spark' and the Sixth Hokage. 

Sasuke was clad in his black cloak as he turned towards his former male team members and greeted them, "Naruto. Kakashi. I trust you know why I'm here." 

Naruto scrunched up his face and closed his eyes and itched his cheek as he contemplated, "Hmm, is it about that white rabbit woman?" 

"What Naruto means is," Kakashi interjected. "Is it about Kaguya Otsutsuki?" A silver brow raised up as Kakashi waited for the Uchiha to confirm his suspicions. 

Sasuke spoke with indifference as he relayed, "I've only spoken to Sakura about this-"

"-Hey, I thought you guys aren't on speaking terms anymore?" Naruto spoke his thoughts aloud. It had been a mutual agreement that Sasuke and Sakura would keep their reconciliation a secret, even from their closest friends. Anything to ensure that Sarada would not know that her father frequented the village without paying her a visit. Anything to keep her little heart safe. 

Kakashi coughed and Sasuke closed his eyes as he continued, "- a while ago. There was a time when I used my _rinnengan_ and collapsed before Sakura so she could heal me before I lost consciousness." The memory of his daughter's screams as he collapsed into Sakura's arms in the living room were still fresh. The way her face tore up as she saw her Papa fight the clutches of death had left a scar on him, and it was once Sakura had saved him once again, that he had stolen himself into Sarada's room and used his _sharingan_ to alleviate her suffering, and erase the memories that would otherwise haunt her into adulthood. Something he was aware of far too well. 

"The great Sasuke Uchiha collapsing? Now, that is a new one," Kakashi offered. 

"Hmm, Sasuke, you're really losing it aren't you, idiot?" Naruto provoked. "It's almost hard to believe that someone other than me kicked your ass, dattebayo! So, what is it that they had? A super mega _rinnengan_? Or was it an x-ray vision _byakugan_?"

" _Byakugan_ is x-ray vision, dumbass. Just ask your wife," Saskue retorted back as he narrowed his eyes at the future Hokage who was beading a sweat drop alongside his brows. "Now shut up and listen. It wasn't an actual being I was fighting. I had found a new dimension that seemed to link to where Kaguya may have originally come from. But it was sealed off. I wasn't able to decipher the sealing _jutsu_ even with my _rinnengan._ I was able to detect masses of chakra behind the wall of the new dimension with my _sharingan_ , but I also noticed it was depleting my own chakra as I was doing so. Eventually, I found myself fighting with remnants of century old Otsutskui's. It must have been part of the sealing _jutsu_." 

"So you were fighting ghosts?" Naruto asked. "Wait! If this happened 'a while ago' why are you only telling us now, idiot?!" 

"It wasn't a threat back then," Sasuke responded calmly. 

"But it is now?" Kakashi suggested. 

"No. But I've found other leads since. The scrolls I've been sending to you, Kakashi. I don't have the time to piece all the information together, but I imagine what I found back then might be significant to all the other information I have found." 

Kakashi nodded, and stated, "Thanks, Sasuke. I'll get Shikamaru on it."

"Good," Sasuke agreed. "The less people that know the better." And with that Sasuke turned away and started walking out the door. 

"Wait!" Naruto called out.

Sasuke halted, and without turning back around he asked, "What is it?"

"Don't you think you should go and see your family?" Naruto pestered. "I know how much Sarada misses you! And Sakura... Hinata tells me that Sakura hasn't been the same since... Sakura doesn't talk much about you but it's clear she's lonely without you! It's just the other day how she was telling me and Hinata how you used to always go down to Sarada's level when you spoke to her, and how Sarada used to kiss your cheeks goodnight before she fell asleep. And now she doesn't say anything! I don't want to see my family broken, Sasuke. You need to-"

"Naruto," Sasuke said. "You focus on your own family."

"Team 7 _IS_ my family!" Naruto explained. 

"You know what I mean," Sasuke muttered. With a flash, he was gone. He had another sealed scroll he needed to deliver, one that had pink camellias and a small pair of red shoes fit for a four year old. It was March 29th. 

***

_Pink camellia_

The pink flowers that accentuated the evening were complimented by the waxy deep green leaves that had grown wildly below it. These were the flowers of longing. The aromatic scent that wafted towards him filled him with memories of three years prior...

It was August. If he had calculated right, his daughter was four and this was his and his wife's fifth anniversary. She had not contacted him informing that she was free, truth be told, she barely wrote to him now. The last time he had seen her it was a day after her birthday, and he could tell that she was fighting back tears as they spoke with whispers of what had become of their family. Broken. A mess. Despite all that, she was all smiles when he was around, and every word that passed her irresistible lips were enveloped in love. But he could not rid his gaze of the fact that her eyes were filled with only sadness. 

_"This is her first birthday you will miss..."_ she had pointed out. 

_"Tell her I love her,"_ he had responded. 

_"I do,"_ she confirmed. _"But I don't know if she believes me,"_ she had sniffled. _"I can see it in her poor face, how much her tiny heart aches for you, darling. I know she loves her Papa who she barely remembers. I know it is you that is uttered in her nightly prayers, and I know she misses you. Do you still... Will you still not come home to your daughter?"_

He had placed his hand on her head and said, _"I'm sorry, Sakura. Maybe she's hurting, and if I could I would take all her pain away. But... I believe I've taken away some of her suffering, and so that is what I continue to intend to do. And if what you say is true, if she loves me without knowing me, then I believe our feelings are connected. Sarada and me, we're connected. Through you. So don't you worry, Sakura. As long as she has you, she will always have a part of me, too."_

He had remembered how she had finally released her tears into his clothed chest as he held her in his embrace, and how she had muttered, _"Thank you, darling."_ And how he had muttered back, _"No, thank you, Sakura."_

Roughly four months later, his own heart ached for his wife. He longed for her, like the petals of pink camellias dancing in the wind, trying to find their way back home. He used his _rinnengan_ to teleport himself into her office and fell on her chair. 

"Sasuke!" he heard her cry out. "What are you doing here? Are you okay? And you used your teleportation, is it okay for you to do that? Won't Ino find out?" 

He could almost feel the thudding of her pulse as she stood behind him, in shock. 

"Don't worry about her. The top jounin know I visit Naruto and Kakashi occasionally, and that includes Ino," he reminded her. 

His words must have broken her out of her trance as he could now sense her walking towards him. "Oh, yes. You're right, Sasuke-kun," Sakura agreed. "Naruto, Hinata and Ino keep treating me like I'm a fragile widow. Especially Naruto and Ino since they know when you come back. It's actually quite irritating. I try to play the part so they don't get suspicious, but..."

Sasuke had unclasped his cloak whilst she was talking and had disrobed himself from his waistcoat and shirt. "Heal me," he stated. 

"A-ah, yes," she stuttered. Soon enough, he felt a warm glow of chakra surge through his back. Her touch was electrifying. Even when she wasn't trying, her touch felt sensual, and he wanted nothing else but to take her here and now. He never wanted her to let go of him. And that was why he snapped at her when he felt the absence of her rough hands. "The fuck? Sakura, _heal me._ " He hadn't meant to sound aggressive, but the bite in his tone didn't seem to faze her anyway, so all was not lost. 

"But, Sasuke," she started. "There's only minor cuts and bruises on your back?" she questioned. 

He clicked his tongue in annoyance, which led her to comply with his wishes. Her hand touched his back, and once again, he felt energy coursing through him. He looked around the office and found that the pink camellias he had gifted her all those months ago had been replaced with white camellias. His eyes narrowed at the thought of her having flowers from someone other than him in her personal office. He knew she usually kept gifts from her staff and patients, which he was fine with. But for her to have discarded his own gift for someone else's... that irked him. 

Sasuke was drawn away from his thoughts as he heard Sakura whisper seductively into his ear, "Sasuke-kun, if I didn't know any better, I'd think you only wanted me to heal you so I could touch you, hmm?" His body tensed at the accuracy of her question. 

"No," he denied. "I don't want you to touch me." 

He felt her hands slink away, and heard as her feet pattered around the chair and desk until she was standing opposite him in her medical jacket, her hands hidden within the pockets as she searched his blank face with a smug look on her own face. 

"Sure," she smirked. "Then you may go, Uchiha-san. Especially if my touch really is that repulsive." 

Sasuke gripped the arm of the armchair he was seated on, frustrated at himself for instantly going on the offensive like old times, when she offered her love to him. He closed his eyes and his jaw clenched as he forced himself to say, "Sakura. You know I didn't mean that." 

The angelic softness of her laugh brought his eyes open as she replied, "I know, dear. I'm just playing with you." She sauntered towards him and propped herself atop her desk as she peered down at him with a sultry smile. "So what brought you here, Sasuke-kun?"

"You," he was blunt as ever. 

"What about me?" she probed playfully, licking her lips. _Such a tease, tch._

He got up from his seat, so that his face was perfectly aligned with his wife's. If they just closed the gap, neither of them would have to bend down or lean up to express their inner most feelings. And that's just what was transpiring between them. He could see his wife edging closer to him, and he too was edging closer to her. With every second that passed, their breaths were mingling together. Their lips were grazing each other now, and he could feel that she had her lips pursed together, awaiting the seal of two becoming into one. But it was at that last second that he abruptly turned away and left her seething. He smirked as he made his way towards the windowsill where the white camellia sat in a pot. 

His fingers glided over the soft white petals, and he tugged one off and watched as it floated out of the window. He was about to deconstruct another petal when his wife's cries of "Stop!" halted him. He could see her reflection staring at him and he glared back her. "Why?" he asked, his voice low. 

"Because they're precious to me," she admitted. _Tug_. He had pulled another one off and he blew it outside. 

"I said STOP!" she yelled. She hopped of the desk and joined him by the window, before closing it. Her hand closed around his own, before it could take the life of another petal. He side-eyed her, his eyes narrow and her own furrowed in confusion. "Where are the flowers I gave you?" 

"Sasuke, it's been a couple of months. Of course they died," she said in a dull tone, as if it was obvious. 

"So why didn't you buy new ones, instead of receiving these?" He asked bitterly. His mismatched eyes flickered to the white petals before looking at her green eyes again. "What?" she asked with a laugh. "Sasuke, I did buy new ones! _I_ bought these flowers. _Me._ " She squeezed his palm beneath hers and asked in a hushed tone, her eyes gleaming with amusement all the while, "Were you jealous, Sasuke? Did you think I replaced you with another man?" 

He looked away in annoyance and muttered, "Of course not." But his hand squeezed her back. He was being honest though, he knew no one could replace his place beside her, no matter how far apart they were. But he still didn't like the thought of another man thinking they had a chance with her. 

She stood on her tiptoes and rested her chin on his shoulder. "You're adorable," she smiled. 

"Shut up." A slight blush had formed on his cheeks.

"No, I mean, that's what these flowers mean. You're adorable. I've been buying these as they remind me of you. They also mean faithful marriage, among other things," she taught him.

He looked down at her, and said, "Ah. The language of flowers is a complicated thing, isn't it?" 

She pecked his cheek and relieved her toes from the strain and landed on the flat of her sandals again. "It sure is. If you want, I can teach you more from what I learnt from Ino? I know you secretly love flowers," she teased. 

"I don't," he lied. "But I also have a precious flower I want to protect." 

A blush formed on her cheeks as she realised what he meant. He leaned down and planted a kiss on her cherry blossom hair. "You're my precious family, Sakura," he murmured to her. 

When he drew away her hand immediately sprinted up to touch the remnants of his kiss. "Why won't you kiss me on my lips?" she pouted. 

His lips curled upwards into a small smile as he confessed, "Not until you tell me why you don't write to me anymore."

"Oh! I'm sorry. I've just been really busy with the hospital. I've taken more shifts now that Sarada is at school full-time. So I'm only free on weekends, but that's when I spend time with Sarada," she rambled out in a half-panic. "Sorry if I've worried you. I just haven't had the time. Everything is so hectic, and sometimes Boruto and Himawari come around in the weekend, and-"

"It's fine," he simply said. "Thank you for taking care of Sarada." 

He gave her what she wanted. A kiss full of longing, passion and trust. 

***

_Heliotrope_

Sasuke's black bangs of hair blew in front of him, revealing the violet colouring of his left eye. It captured a bundle of other violets that swayed in the breeze: the bundle of purple heliotropes whispered to him the same eternal love and devotion that another flower had always promised him: Sakura. The aroma of the sweet scent that the tiny heliotropes gave off caused his mind to flicker back to roughly two years prior: it was a January, and Sakura had sent word to him that she would be on a mission with a medical unit. They had been writing back and forth for a week, and it was eventually decided that he would meet up with her at the border of Kirigakure once she had sent the rest of the unit back to Konoha. 

He remembered how when they had finally found each by a stream of water, they may or may have not crossed when Sakura was still pregnant with Sarada, and they sat side by side, her head resting on his shoulder, with nothing but the peaceful silence surrounding them. It was midday, and they were both watching as the sun sent down its blessings from the heavens onto the world as the clear water reflected the shimmering light back onto everything that peered into it. The pebbles that were lined up along the riverbed would be cleaned with every stroke of the stream lashing up onto it, and the wild heliotropes that grew in between each pebble only added to the immense beauty of their surroundings. The chirping of the birds filled the quietness of a married couple enjoying each other's presence with nothing but only soft touches and shy glances. It was Sasuke that broke the silence. 

"How's Sarada?" He finally asked. 

"Ah, she's good," his wife hummed back. "She still asks for you. But I tell her the same thing, that you love her, and that you're only away to keep us safe. That you'll come back when you have finished your important mission. She doesn't cry anymore. Or at least not to my face. Sometimes I hear her crying at night, but when I go to her room she pretends to be asleep. Even when I stay in her bed and cuddle her, and whisper to her trying to soothe her, she doesn't open up to me. I think she thinks she's protecting me by not letting me worry and fuss over her, but it should be the other way round. That silly girl. Seriously, she's not even five yet and I swear she's more mature than I was when I was thirteen! She must definitely get that quality from you. I just remember how cool _you_ were when you were five," Sakura giggled, before continuing. "But despite all that, she's doing well. She gets the top marks at school for reciting the alphabet and being able to count and do simple sums. And her eyesight is fine too, darling. Every time I look into her eyes, I still see you... I wish..."

"Sakura," Sasuke interrupted her before she could go into a spiral about her sorrows and allow the serenity of the moment dissipate. "Where's Sarada now?" 

"She's with Naruto," she answered back. 

"Ah," Sasuke approved. "If she's with Naruto, then she's safe." 

"Yeah," Sakura agreed. "That loud-mouthed friend of ours is always somehow keeping us safe, hm? He's done so much for us, that Naruto. Like when he brought you back to me."

Sasuke shifted his wife's weight off from his shoulder, and readjusted his position until his head fell in her lap. Her words resonated with him, and it was something that he had known all along. He could only agree with her in his own quiet way. He looked up at her smiling angelic face, and she cupped his face in her hands, all the while her hair falling down over onto him. He lifted his hand up to tuck a few of those strands behind her right ear. "But it was you who taught me to love," he told her. 

She caressed his face, her smile never leaving her, and the warmth of her smile radiating onto him. "Hmm, that may be so. But it was only because of him that you were able to accept my friendship once again," she concluded. Her right thumb brushed over his lip and he closed his eyes whilst drinking in her touch and her closeness. He truly felt blessed by the midday's daylight, reminiscing about the past, basking in the present, and feeling hopeful for the future. "Because of Naruto, you were able to have another chance at life, Sasuke-kun. He gave that to you, and I'm so grateful to him for that." Every word that graced his ears from her lips he agreed with. Their hearts and minds had synced and they were together in more ways than one. The marital bonds of husband and wife had far exceeded those beyond physical relations a long time ago. They were connected emotionally and spiritually, perhaps even before he reciprocated her feelings back. "I really do love him," he heard her say. His eyes snapped open and he looked at her face who was now staring at the stream again. He looked at the features on her face and tried to discern what she had meant by that. Surely she didn't mean... 

She looked down again to find her husband's creases and a frown staring back at her. He noticed how her lips almost quirked upwards as a question formed on her tongue, until realisation at what she had last uttered dawned on her face. Her lips then curved back into a reassuring smile and she said to him, "I don't mean romantically, Sasuke-kun. I love him as I know you love him too. Like a best friend. Like a brother." 

He sighed softly, but that still did not appease his new founded insecurities. "Naruto was always interested in you romantically, though, back then. He was always good to you. He could have given you everything that I never did, and I'm sure he did. Why... Why did you not...?"

She had been listening to her husband speak his mind, and had understood his half unspoken question. "Actually, I did," she admitted. "I told him I loved him. Romantically, I mean." 

He blinked, and then sat up beside her, pulling himself off of her. He hadn't expected this. "What happened?" He asked. 

"He rejected me," Sakura laughed. "My love story is full of rejections." 

He raised a quizzical brow. Sasuke didn't understand. As long as he could remember, it was no secret that Naruto had had a crush on Sakura, so if Sakura had offered what he so desired for so long, why had Naruto pushed her away? 

"Why?" he blurted out. 

Sakura blinked. "Why? Oh... Well, he saw right through me... It seems that Naruto was able to always read my heart clearly, as he could read yours, and many other shinobi. Naruto knew I was still hopelessly in love with you, despite what I had told him." Sakura sighed, and she looked into the distance, as if losing herself into a tragic past. 

Sasuke studied her face and watched as the sunlight cascaded onto her long pink locks. He watched as her green eyes gleamed in the midday sun, and how her pink lips invited him to inch closer with every passing breath. 

"And are you?" he asked. 

She snapped out of her trance and looked back at him. "Am I what?" she asked, puzzled. 

"Still hopelessly in love with me," he clarified. 

He watched as she fought with the corner of her lips from tugging into a wide grin, and she rocked away from him and lightly shoved him so he was reeling onto his left side. He steadied himself and watched her like a hawk. "You really want me to say it, don't you?" she chuckled. She looked up at the seriousness of his face and snorted. 

"Just tell me," he said, his voice and face void of expression. 

"Yes," she giggled. "I'm still hopelessly in love with you, Sasuke-kun."

His eyes shifted from her and landed on the stream before them. "Good," he uttered. 

He felt her arm nudge his, and when he didn't turn towards her again, he heard her ask playfully, "So, are you not going to tell me?" 

"No," he replied. 

"Why not?" she whined. 

He huffed and turned to face her once again. He brought two fingers forward and poked her diamond seal. _Next time_. "Because you'll only cry," he smirked at her. He couldn't stand it when she cried. Even when the tears were formed because of his love for her, it reminded him of all the times he had hurt and rejected her previously. Her tears only tormented him. 

He moved his fingers from her forehead, and replaced it with his lips. "Thank you for loving me," he murmured to her. _I love you_. 

_***_

_Yarrow_

The moon hung high in the sky, clouds passing through sporadically with no care in the world. The silver glow of moonlight dispersed throughout the field, and Sasuke could still make out the white delicate blooms of yarrow flowers. The white caught his eye, and he was reminded of a May two years prior: it was a cool afternoon when he arrived at Sakura's home. Her bedroom window had been left open as per usual and he had snuck into her single bed. The house was empty, and so he took it upon himself to rest beneath her covers. He wasn't sure how much time had passed when she came eventually arrived home, but she woke him up with a surprised, "Oh! Welcome home, Sasuke-kun."

He sleepily answered back, "I'm home, Sakura."

His eyes drooped lazily as he tried to focus his eyes on his beloved wife. He heard a soft chuckle and then a, "I'll let you rest, Sasuke-kun."

"No," he rasped out. "Come here," he demanded. He scooted over to the left and made some space and patted over the blanket.

He blinked a few times, attempting to chase the sleep away. When his vision finally focused, he could clearly make out a pink enchantress dressed in a tan top and white jeggings whose bottom lips were being chewed as she approached him with a light blush. She eventually made her way to him and lied down beside him. He brought his arm around her waist and pulled her closer. His hand then snaked upwards until it was resting on the back of her head, and he brought their foreheads together. He closed his eyes again when he heard a hushed, "Sasuke, we can't sleep. I'll need to leave in a few hours again and pick Sarada up from Choji's."

He opened his eyes and stared at the beauty that lay before him. He traced her cheek lightly with his thumb and heard her breath hitch. He paused and wondered if she knew what he was thinking this very moment. _You're beautiful._ His intense stare was matched with a brighter shade of blush and he pecked her lips before abruptly turning away and kicking the covers of himself. She gasped when he saw the secret which he had just exposed.

"S-Sasuke-kun... Y-you're n-naked!" She stammered.

"Hn," was his only reply.

He turned back towards her and tugged at the loose sleeves of her elbow.

"Darling? What are you d-doing?" she asked timidly.

He continued tugging, but when the enchantress didn't grant him his wish, he grunted, "Off."

Her eyes went wide for a split second, and then her mouth roared into a laughter. "You're so cute!" she squealed. "Aw, Sasuke. Can we just cuddle?"

"No."

He realised the selfishness of his own desires and then took his monosyllabic statement back. His gaze flickered to her foot stroking his leg and then back up to her. "I mean, if you don't want to, then, I can't make you..." he shyly admitted with a light blush.

She giggled again and then brushed the tip of his nose with a kiss. She sat up and proceeded to undress. He looked at her with a quizzical brow. She sat in front of him and pinched his left cheek. "I just wanted to see how you'd react," she admitted. "You really are cute, darling."

He shoved her back down onto the bed in irritation. His jaw was set firmly as he glared down at her with his mismatched eyes. "Stop laughing at me, Sakura. Or you'll regret it," he threatened into her left ear, voice dripping with seduction.

"What will be my punishment if I don't?" she asked, all the while trying to bite down another burst of giggles. He could almost see the words ' _cute_ ' forming on her tongues. He gripped her waist in annoyance and dug his nails into her until she squealed out his name. The _tomoes_ of his _sharingan_ span lazily at first, and then picked up as he moved away from her ear and stared down at her crimson cheeks, and then at her viridian eyes. He showed her his inner most desires and she gasped beneath him. When he finally released her from his fantasies, she brought a hand to his dark hair and sifted her hand through it.

"You know... if you really want to do all that... you'll have to make me laugh at you," she pointed out, her lips twisting into a satisfied smirk.

His brows narrowed as he continued glaring down at her. "It looks like you're doing a good job of that yourself," he grumbled.

"So erm, remember that time you said you wanted to 'revive' your clan? Did you by any chance understand what you were implying? Or maybe you were insinuating that you would happily oblige to any of your fangirls' desires?" she provoked whilst biting back a grin.

He rolled his eyes and huffed. "Fuck off, Sakura," he spat.

She giggled and asked, "Is that still one of yours goals then? To revive your clan?"

Sasuke nestled himself atop Sakura, finding comfort in her body hugging him back. His head was planted just under her jaw, and he whispered to her bare shoulder, "I think I already have."

"What do you mean?" he heard his favourite female voice ask.

"I have you, Sakura. And together, we created Sarada out of our love. That's all the family I need."

She sighed into his hair. "Out of love, hmm?" she echoed. "Yes, I suppose that's right. But Sasuke, I hope you won't be breaking another promise," she teased.

He tilted his head to look up at her to ask what she was referring to. But as soon as he saw the smug look on her face, he knew exactly what she meant. "I won't," he promised. And just like that, the dance between a husband and wife started. Pants and sighs echoed throughout the bedroom, and two beings merged into one. Everlasting love was created, like the pure white petals that yarrow flowers symbolise, and it filled the room with a romantic sensation like no other. He had a thousand reasons to love her, but even with almost six years of marriage, he still had no idea why she loved him.

Once all his carnal desires had been manifested into reality, he found himself now being the one whose body was being used as a mattress as his wife's silky pink hair tickled his chin. He could sense the uneasiness in her breathing and in her racing pulse, and he asked her, "What's wrong? Did I hurt you?"

"No, no. Nothing like that," she clarified. "It's just... us. These clandestine meetings. Running around behind everyone's backs. Hiding and lying to our friends, and most importantly, our daughter. When will it end, Sasuke?"

Sasuke found her wrist resting on his chest and held it, tracing the silver bangle that was wrapped around her slender form. His fingers then glided upwards until they locked with hers. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed each fingertip before turning her hand around so he could bless each of her knuckles with his lips too. Every kiss was an apology deep from within his soul.

"I don't know Sakura," he mumbled into her hand. "I'm sorry it has to be like this."

"It's not your fault, I know," she assured him with a sigh. "Sarada has inherited your strong love, and because of that, she deeply misses you. And it caused her to awaken her _sharingan_ at such a young age which caused us some problems as she nearly turned blind... and her little heart couldn't take your sudden absences and then you appearing randomly. It was confusing for her, I know. I understand a lot more now, Sasuke. Now that I've had the time to think it through. So I don't blame you. But..."

Their conversations often went like this, Sasuke mused. Sakura either updated him on Sarada's life and activities, and if she did not, she would ask when Sasuke will be ready to come back home properly, even though she knew the answer was not anytime soon. It would often end with Sasuke's silences or his heartfelt one-word apologies. Nothing he could say could mend them back to how they were: he used to have the shiniest things - a family that loved him, and he too that loved them dearly back - but now those shiny things were rusting.

"...even if you and Sarada can't see each other, the next best thing I'd want is if we could just not hide to meet each other. If there was some sort of way..."

"You mean, if we could just not be us for one day, you mean?" he entertained her idea. "If we could just abandon our responsibilities? We've done that before, and I'd do it again if I could."

Her words sprang her to life and she jumped off of him and kneeled beside him, her hands shaking his shoulders in excitement. "That's it, Sasuke! We just don't have to be ourselves!" she exclaimed with a wide grin, her eyes shining with mischief.

He looked at her like she was crazy. His wife had truly lost it. What was she even talking about, he wondered.

"Sasuke! Don't you see? We just have to do the transformation _jutsu_ and no one will know it's us! It's genius! I can't believe I never thought of that. What do you say, Sasuke?"

Sasuke was still thinking it over, he was about to state that if someone uses a sensory _jutsu,_ such as like Naruto with his Sage Mode, then they'll be able to detect that Sasuke and Sakura were in the same vicinity, both undergoing a transformation _jutsu_. But before he could verbalise his response they heard the doorbell ring.

Sakura's eyes widened. "Shit! What time is it?" she asked frantically. She hoisted herself up and clambered off the bed. "I'm coming!" she shouted out, hoping whoever was at the door would hear. Sakura flung her wardrobe open and brought a bathrobe out and concealed her modesty.

"Sasuke, you have to go," she hissed at him. "I think it's Choji or Karui with Sarada. I'm sorry that we didn't have much time to-" The doorbell rang again. "Go!"

Sasuke picked up his clothes and made his way to the shower for a quick wash before clothing himself and using his _rinnengan_ to escape. The last thing he heard was Sakura saying, "Oh thank you Choji for dropping Sarada home! I must have lost track of time, hehe... I'm actually just going to pop into the shower, but next time you and Karui must bring Chocho over and stay for lunch!"

***

_Red carnation_

The night sky was starting to transcend into the lighter shades of blue as the sun peeked into the sky, brightening the field with its ethereal grace. The black flowers which Sasuke was sceptic of, which he was trying to discern what they were, was now made clear to him that they were not black, but indeed a deep red. Red carnations. The frills of the petals in the centre of the flower reminded him of a February over a year ago. He remembered how he spoke of the language of flowers to his wife as he had written in his letter:

_Sakura,_

_I am doing fine. Or I was until I came across a florist. The red carnations caught my eye and I thought of you and Sarada. Sakura, I mean it when I say: alas for my poor heart, my heart aches. My love for you both is like the red carnations. My heart bleeds for you both._

_I'm sorry it's been so long since I last saw you. I'll be near Konoha in about two days. I will come then._

_Sasuke._

The response back had warned him not to wait for her at the house, but rather to meet at the usual alleyway near the hospital. And that was where he had waited for her.

Sasuke waited within the two narrow walls as one foot was placed on the wall behind him. Sasuke glared at the insulting graffiti opposite him that read: ' _Uchiha slut_ ', ' _Dr Haruno call me'_ , ' _Pink haired single slutty Dr_ ', among other vile things about his wife. Sasuke activated his _amaterasu_ and aimed it at the wall until all that was left were black scorch marks. Moments passed before a pink beauty landed in front of him in a white medic coat and ran towards him. Sasuke lifted his foot off from the wall, and placed his hand on his hip as he scowled down at his wife.

"Sasuke!" she called out to him. "Did you use a fire style _jutsu_? I could smell it from a patient's room!"

"I used _amaterasu_ ," he told her, nodding at the wall behind her.

She turned towards his gaze, and then snapped her head back. "But why?" she prodded, concern etching her features. "Has something happened in Konoha?"

"No. I've had my meeting with Kakashi and Naruto. But it's not about that. I just saved you from reading some disgusting comments. That's all," he replied, his voice grim.

"Oh... I thought the cleaners had taken care of that..." she mumbled, toeing the gravel with her sandal.

"You've seen them?" When she didn't look up to meet his stare, he prodded with, "Why are some of your patients under the impression that you're single?"

Sakura sighed heavily, and then forced herself to look up at her husband's scowl. "There's been rumours that we're not actually married... Some rumours say we divorced and you left me. Others say that we were never married in the first place. And then there's the rumours about Sarada... That she's not mine. Or she's not yours. Or she is ours, but you don't love her. Or if you do love her, then I raped you and that's how she was conceived... It's been a crazy couple of months, Sasuksh-"

Her voice muffled and then turned into sobs as Sasuke clamped his hand over her back and drew her towards his chest.

_I'm sorry._

She wiped her eyes using the front of his cloak and then looked up at him. "And then there's the rumours about why Sarada wears glasses. There's too many... From that I'm an unfit mother, or you're not her real dad, or..." She took a deep breath. "Sasuke, what do I say when she asks me if you ever wore glasses? She'll know that I've never. There's enough photos of me from over the years, but if she thinks it's a genetic thing... What if she doubts that you're her real dad? Oh Sasuke!" And the sobs started again.

His fingers ran down her long silky locks and his chin rested atop the flat of her head. "Sakura, calm down. You're overthinking," he soothed.

"But... if she ever asks..." her voice trembled as she spoke each word.

"I agree that she shouldn't know the real reason why she needs glasses. Maybe when she's old enough, she can know. But as a child... Sakura, don't think about it too much. If she ever asks, I trust you'll find the right thing to say. Just don't tell her much about my past. Anything pertaining me is still classified information," he reminded her.

"I know," she sniffed. She dried her eyes with his cloak again. "Sorry, I ruined this..." she mumbled, staring at his cloak.

"Don't worry about it," he consoled. He was struggling to find a way to cheer his wife up, when the thought occurred to him. He pushed Sakura off of his chest and looked into the red rims of her grassy green eyes. "Sakura. Lets do what you once said. Lets transform into normal civilians and spend the day together."

Sakura's face lit up and her fists clenched onto his cloak. "Really?!" she asked. "You're really okay with that?!"

"Hn," he said. _Anything for you, my love._

He watched in amusement as she clamped her hands together and squealed. She clenched her eyes shut as she informed him, "I can't believe we're actually going to do this! Oh my god. Okay, we need to transform into people that don't look out of place. I know I don't need to tell you, as you're not stupid like Naruto, but make sure the features of whoever you look like don't have any features that would attract any sort of attention."

"Like pink hair you mean?" he asked with a slight smirk gracing his lips.

She stuck her tongue out at him. "I mean like a ridiculously handsome face," she retorted back.

He rolled his eyes at her flirtations and simultaneously, they both made the hand signs for the transformation _jutsu_. After a puff of smoke, standing before each other were a couple in their mid-twenties. The man had red long hair up to his waist that was tied in the middle and he was dressed in a green denim shirt that was left open disclosing onlookers to the pure white t-shirt underneath, paired with black trousers, whilst also sporting a new temporary left arm that rested inside the trouser pocket. His wife was a brunette with short hair, and her eyes were a deep brown to match her hair. Her clothes were simple enough: a purple short-sleeved t-shirt, paired with brown kami shorts.

"Right!" she said, examining her husband's new look. "You don't look half bad."

He grabbed her wrist and they made their way out of the alleyway and walked away from the hospital, into the busy streets of Konoha. "What do you want to do?" he asked.

"Hmm..." Sakura placed an index finger on her chin as she looked around the street. "Oh! I know." She ran a few steps ahead, and turned around and waved Sasuke towards her. "Come! There's a new pop-up cafe that opened up a week ago. I've been intending to take Sarada in the weekend, but I haven't had the time to check if the scenery or the food is child-friendly. Now will be the perfect time!"

He walked over to join her, and her arms curled over his right arm. He tried to free himself from her embrace, but she was unrelenting. "Relax!" she assured. "No one knows it's us. You don't have to be ashamed!" She grinned cheekily up at him.

He grumbled back down to her, "Sakura..."

She placed a finger on his lip and said, "Oh you can't call me that! We need new names."

Sasuke watched as Sakura's eyes bounced erratically around as she thought about the many possibilities. He was glad that he had been able to cheer her up, but she was taking this a bit too far. If she didn't calm down then they would start attracting unwanted attention, and passerby's may start to become suspicious as to seeing two new 'civilians'.

"Fugaku," he said, making Sakura stop walking and look at him.

"What?"

"I'll be Fugaku," he clarified.

"Oh. Then... I'll be... Mikoto?" she asked warily.

"No, that's too obvious. You'll be Izumi," he ordered.

"Ah! Okay. That was Itachi-san's lover, right? Izumi... It's a beautiful name," she said, smiling sweetly up at him.

She clung to his arm as she led the way to new pop-up cafe. It was as they were turning the corner into another street that they heard familiar voices heading towards them. Accompanied with those voices were a flash of blonde unkempt hair and straight navy blue long locks.

"But Hinata, I'm really worried about Sakura-chan!" the blonde pouted, both his arms resting behind his head.

"Sakura is a strong woman, Naruto-kun. I really look up to her," the Hyuga heiress replied.

"Oh, oh. But you're also a strong woman, Hintata!" Hinata blushed as Naruto grinned down at her. "But still," the blonde continued. "That bastard Sasuke is going to get his ass kicked the next time I see him."

Sasuke's shoulders tensed as he heard his name coming from his friend's mouth. _That loser..._

"How could he just leave his wife with that many men around the house? There's been enough rumours that I've had to shut down as future Hokage. Sakura doesn't say much, but I can tell it's getting to her. And Sarada, too. There's only so much I can do to make sure none of those rumours get to her ears, you know? Sasuke is such a prick. You know that he was always picking fights with me back in the day, right?"

Hinata giggled, "I think you too started a few fights, Naruto-kun." Her tone then grew serious as she said, "Sarada can stay with us more longer. I don't mind. I've already told Sakura. Sakura can also stay with us. I know Himawari likes the company, she's so talkative just like you, dear. After we pick her up from Father's..." The Uzumaki couple's voices drifted away as they turned the corner.

Sasuke's face was as dark as clouds on a stormy night, and his scowl deepened. He followed his wife wordlessly, not giving into the soothing touches she was circling over his arm. They came across a pink cafe with flowers adorning the door and windows. Inside, fairy lights were lit and a 5ft cream teddy was placed near a seat. On every table was sat a small plotted plant, and gracing one side of the petite cafe was a flower wall. They were seated near the door, Sasuke took the window seat with Sakura sat opposite him. She was still mulling over the menu whilst he continued to glare at her.

When the waitress came over, Sakura ordered, "Hi, I'd like to have a dango and a red velvet cake with a hot chocolate."

The waitress looked at Sasuke, and asked, "And you, sir?"

He blatantly ignored her and continued to stare at his wife.

"Erm, he doesn't have much of a sweet tooth," Sakura explained. "He'll just have black coffee. No sugar."

When the waitress took the menus and sauntered off behind the counter, Sakura hissed at him, "Sasuke, what are you playing at? You could at least be a bit more friendly! You'll blow our cover!"

"Fugaku. Call me Fugaku," he sternly replied. "You're the one who'll blow our cover," he spat bitterly.

Sakura raised a brow. "What's gotten into you all of a sudden? Is it what Naruto said, because-"

"Yes. Why are there men at the house?" he asked, his eyes piercing into hers, searching for an answer behind her false brown eyes.

Sakura sighed. "It's not what you think. Naruto's an idiot. These 'men' are builders. I'm refurbishing the house. We're making it bigger, adding more rooms. Sarada told me about how Hinata has been training Boruto whilst Naruto studies or is on his missions, and she asked if I could train her when I have time. But the training grounds are usually packed with shinobi so I thought it'd be better if I make extra room in the house for us to train," she explained. "So you see? It's nothing to worry about, Sa- Fugaku-kun."

Sasuke sighed and brought his hand over Sakura's whose hand was resting on the table. "Why didn't you tell me that in any of your letters?" he asked, tiredly.

"You're the one that said I should try to avoid writing anything too personal! And anyway, I did warn you not to go to the house, and that was because of the men there might see you," she defended herself.

A different waitress brought their order to the table. Sakura thanked her, but the woman wouldn't budge. "Hi, I'll be one of your servers for today. My name's Amino. If you need anything just give me a shout! We have polaroid cameras that you can request to use, as well as an arcade downstairs. I just need to take your names and you'll be free to use them," the waitress told them.

"Ah, yes. Izumi and Fugaku," Sakura told the woman, hoping she'll go away.

The woman wrote down their names and smiled at them. "Nice to meet you Izumi and Fugaku! I don't think I've seen you two before... Have you just recently moved to Konoha? I'm new too!"

"Er, yes, we just recently moved..." Sakura answered, unconvincingly.

"Oh, so what do you both do as a living," Amino asked.

Sakura hesitated, obviously not prepared for a thorough interrogation, and so Sasuke stepped in. "I trade tomatoes," he said naturally, as if he had been trading tomatoes his entire life. "And my wife here is a hairdresser."

Sakura gawped at him, stunned. Amino looked at Sakura and beamed, "Wow! I've always wanted to get my hair done!"

"Izumi is still practising. She's going to give me a cut later today, actually," Sasuke said. "So we're hoping to get home as soon as we can."

"I am?" Sakura asked, puzzled. Sasuke kicked her under the table. "Oh yes! How could I forget! Hehehe..."

Amino smiled at them both, taking the hint and said her farewells. "Well if you do take any pictures and you want to buy them, you know who to call!" And she left the couple to it. 

The next half an hour consisted of Sasuke's scowls as Sakura forced him to try some of her desserts, and then again scolding him to "lighten up!" as she forced him to take a picture with her using the cafe's polaroid camera. She tugged him towards the arcade and his scowl deepened as she beat him at almost most of the games they played, but the gleam in her eyes and the genuine softness of her lips as she smiled were worth it, he reflected. It was just as they were paying that they heard a deep voice behind them guffaw loudly and state with such confidence, "That pink slut will definitely let me fuck her tonight! I just know it! Once I get her alone I'll ask her to heal my arm from all that heavy lifting I do from building her extension, and then BAM. That dumb bitch wouldn't be able to resist my charm!" 

Another male voice chided, "Won't your wife have something to say about that?"

"She won't find out," the first voice stated. "Haruno won't say shit. She'd hate for her husband to find out she's been cheating on him."

"Isn't she an Uchiha now? She's been an Uchiha for a few years now," the second voice reminded the first. 

"So what? We know that she the Uchiha's whore. But she'll be mine now," from his voice it could only be assumed that he was sporting a wicked grin. 

Sasuke watched as his wife's hands trembled against the counter. He watched as her hand grabbed the counter and the marble counter wore a new crack just beneath her palm. If she lost her temper their cover would be blown and it would only add fuel to whatever sick rumours had been spreading about the Uchiha's. So Sasuke gently passed his right hand over hers and took it. He thanked the waitresses when she did not, and he gently tugged her outside of the cafe, and continued walking. Their pace was slow, and her head lolled as if she were a drunken mess. Her eyes wouldn't lift off from her own two feet, and eventually he released her fingers to use his hand to rest her head on his shoulder as he walked them towards a bench that had become a significant location in their relationship - with words unspoken, the notorious bench outside the village gates was one that defined the earliest stages of their friendship. 

He sat her down and he himself took his seat beside hers. They took in the silence and made peace with it. The few passing seconds helped the wounds in her heart to mend, and he allowed her to take her time as she found her quickening breath and fought to find the words to say as her eyes spoke for her with every drop that escaped her broken irises. He sat with her, being patient, being with her, as she had so many times for him - with him. Eventually her face lifted up and her faux brown eyes met his onyx. 

"That was one of my builders..." she confessed to him. 

"Are they always like that?" he asked. 

"No, they're really nice. To my face, I mean," she said, her hand playing with his fake red hair that brushed onto her hand. 

"He won't bother you again," Sasuke comforted. "None of them will."

Sakura furrowed her brows in confusion as she searched his stoic expression. "What do you-"

"Sakura," Sasuke interrupted. "I don't want to look at anything else other than you. You know that. But, more so than that, I especially don't want to see you hurt. Not now, not ever."

A painful smile crossed her heavenly lips as tears continued to fall. Her hand stopped playing with the red hair and instead found his lips. "Thank you, Sasuke... But I still don't understand..." 

He closed the distance and his lips found hers, but he willed both their eyes open with the spiralling of his _sharingan_. To anyone passing, they would look like an ordinary couple embraced in love as they shared affection in public. But they were no ordinary couple. Sasuke shared the contents of the past fifteen minutes with her: 

_As Sasuke held Sakura's hand - right entwined with left - as they left the cafe, Sasuke's temporary left hand made a shadow clone that lured the builder into the men's toilets of the cafe. Once inside, the man was immediately drenched in sweat as all he saw was a demonic beast infiltrate his mind threatening to devour him if he so much as laid a hand on a pink doctor - or any other woman that wasn't the man's own wife. The demon promised to visit him every moment the man blinked if he did not caution his fellow colleagues. The man gulped and believed the black and red demon, wetting himself in the process._

Sasuke felt Sakura's lips kiss him with a fierce desperation as his memories subsided. He felt her fists scrunch up the collars of his green shirt, and suddenly his head was being pushed down onto the bench. As if she were a fragile, broken thing, he delicately pulled one wrist away from his collar and broke off the kiss before it became something else in an open space. 

"Sorry..." she breathed out, looking abashed as she stared at his torso. 

"No, it's okay," he comforted. "No one knows it's us, anyway, right?" The corner of his lip tugged upwards at the knowledge. He watched as she bit her lip, and then looked up to meet him again. 

"Would you... would you be willing to do this with me again, Sasuke?" she asked timidly. 

Sasuke held her hand and squeezed it. "If I do... If I continue trying to spend whole days with you... My mission will take longer than it already is. I don't want to miss all of Sarada's childhood. I'm sorry, Sakura," he said, swallowing the lump in his throat, hearing his own voice crack as he voiced his beloved child's name. 

He felt her squeeze his hand back. "No, I'm sorry, Sasuke," Sakura whispered back. "I'm being selfish again, aren't I? Focus on your mission. Focus on seeing our baby again. Focus on her. Don't worry about me, darling. I'm a strong woman. I can handle myself." 

"Ah," Sasuke agreed. "That you are." 

_I'm not ashamed of you._

And it was there that they sat, under the guise of ordinary civilians. But it was no pretence that they were in love. That much was true. Two broken souls sitting amidst a village of trees as they watched the world buzz by them, waiting for the sun to lower until it was four hours after midday. Until it was time for Sakura to head to the school and pick up their daughter. Until it was time for them to depart. 

_Until next time_. 

***

Since that February over a year ago, his visits with Sakura had been more infrequent, and when he did visit her, their meetings barely lasted two hours. She was inundated with more and more shifts now that Sarada was older, and he was finding traces of Kaguya's clan throughout different dimensions that he would report back to Kakashi through a hawk. Along with that, Sasuke was still tracking down missing-nin who posed a threat to the shinobi world, but more importantly, those who posed a threat to a young Uchiha. 

Sasuke stood up and basked in the sun, watching the different species of flowers dance in the morning spring. Despite all the flowers he had feasted his mismatched eyes upon, one that stood out to him was a single white daffodil that Sakura had gifted him three days before when he had visited her. She had confessed that she had once attempted to give it another lifetime ago, but now that he was standing before her, he should have it. He still remembered his beauty's words: _"Even during winter it keeps its beauty. A strong flower that waits for the hope of spring. Like you, Sasuke-kun. I will continue to wait for you, and so please keep coming back to me."_

It was March 31st. 

And the fruit of their love was seven. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> She's seven! Right, now I need to reread my whole fanfic again and remind myself how I wanted the rest of the story to continue. 
> 
> Leave a comment! What did you like? Any constructive criticism?


	20. Midnight

No matter which way the stream ran, which way the wind breathed life, or what season it was, it always pointed towards the same thing; it created Sasuke's heart to sing the same song - a song of love, a song of longing, a song of Sakura. Sasuke chased every sunset until night fell upon him and he bathed in the peace of the nights he had sworn to defend, the nights he had been fighting to keep. During the day he continued to forge that peace, with every slice of his _katana_ , and every strike of his _chidori_. Rushing through trees and through dimensions into the unknown, gathering intel and seeking out those who were deeply rooted in the corners of the earth, luring them out with the prize of his _dojutsus_. These were the endless days of Uchiha Sasuke. And so it was no wonder why he found solace between pink hair and tender arms, soft breasts and alluring green eyes. He felt safe under her watchful gaze and he felt calm beneath the gentle caress of her rough hands. But most importantly he felt at-

"Home. I'm home, Sakura," he told a clothed breast, nuzzling into her further as they were seated on her couch in the living room. 

"A-ah, yes..." she stuttered, as she tried to gently push him away. "S-Sasuke-kun. You know I have my shift in half an hour. I need to go."

"No," he muttered into her red dress. 

"Sasuke-kun, my patients are waiting. And I need to supervise a few trainees later on. We can catch up later," she pleaded softly. 

But his grip only tightened around her waist. "You have a patient right here. So tend to me, you damned woman," he chided between gritted teeth. 

Sakura sighed. "I've already given you a massage, darling. What more do you want?" she asked as she kneaded her hands through his hair. 

"Just stay," he ordered, albeit his voice softening as he said so. "Please."

"Sasuke, I miss you too, but I really need to go. I need to pay off the loan for the extension, and I can only do that if I go to work," she reminded him. 

Sasuke finally let go and looked up at his wife. He readjusted his position so he was sitting beside her, and no longer taking half of the sofa with the lower half of his body. Two fingers were approaching his face and he closed his eyes as he felt the familiar gesture beneath his black bangs of hair she had recently cut for him. 

"I'll see you next time, Sasuke," she smiled dejectedly. She lifted herself off the couch, but before she could take a step forward he halted her movements with a tug at her wrist. 

"Sakura, I'll be waiting," he vowed. "Sarada is staying at ChiChi's house, right?"

"You mean ChoCho," Sakura giggled. "Yes," she affirmed. "So you can stay. But Sasuke, you don't have to wait up for me. I'll be late."

"You always wait for me, even when I tell you not to," he reminded her. "So it's only fair I don't listen either."

She relieved her wrist from his loose grip and smacked his lone arm playfully. "You're such an idiot," she laughed. "Anyway, there's dinner in the fridge. You just need to warm it up." 

A few soft kisses and tender hugs later, she had left him to wander around the house aimlessly. Sasuke's feet found themselves heading upstairs, and once again for the thousandth time he found his hand brushing over his daughter's doorknob, but being unable to find it in himself to take a peak into her life. He gathered his wits and closed his eyes. His hand fell beside himself again and he went into the newly built extension. It had been a couple of months since it had been finished, alongside with two new Uchiha crests on the front of the house, and Sakura had even bought a new double bed for her and Sasuke - apparently she had told Sarada it was so that Sarada could cuddle her Mama in the coldest nights, like this night of October. Sasuke padded towards the boxing bag in the corner of the room and resumed his training. 

After an hour, Sasuke ran a shower and then found himself propped up on Sakura's new double bed with the numerous scrolls he had gathered with intel inked in them. He would have to read through each of his notes and number them before handing it to the Sixth Hokage. Another three hours passed and Sasuke's stomach lead the way towards the kitchen. Inside the fridge he found a bento box full of noodles, tomatoes and fish. He smiled at his wife's thoughtfulness and proceeded to take the food out and microwave it. He drummed his fingers atop the counter, wondering what his wife and child would eat the next day, when he decided he'll rummage through the cupboards and make a dish after he's eaten. 

Sasuke found all sorts of ingredients in the cupboards, and just as he was about to grasp a green bottle from the back of the last cupboard the microwave _pinged!_ informing him that his meal was ready. Sasuke hummed in satisfaction as he took the first bite. His wife's cooking skills had only progressed throughout the years, and it came out in the flavoursome tastes of the fish coated in chilli sauce. It was not long until Sasuke downed the last bits of noodles with a glass of refreshing water and he continued on his search for ingredients. 

Sasuke made his way to the last cupboard again, and the suspicious glow of the green bottle lured him in, until he took it out of the darkness and examined it under the kitchen light. Sasuke frowned as he realised exactly what he was looking at. The forbidden liquid inside was already half devoured. Sasuke took the contents of the liquid and chugged it down the sink. The rest of his chores around the house was completed with a scowl until Sasuke's anger consumed him and sat himself in the armchair of the living room in the darkness, one leg crossed over the other, his lone arm gripping the soft material under him. He sat in the dark with only the moonlight gracing his presence, waiting... 

The clock ticked, and the room became darker with every passing minute, with barely anything to illuminate it but the night sky and the shimmer of a lone red eye. The Uchiha patriarch didn't have to look at the clock to know that it was already hours past midnight. When she said she would be late, he didn't think she had meant _this late_. It had been 10 hours since she had left, and he knew that her shifts were never longer than 8. Where was she? 

It was then that he heard the click of the front door unlock and heard the door shut softly not long after. Stumbling inside the dark living room came a flushed, pink-haired Uchiha. 

"You're late," he grumbled into the void of blackness. He heard and saw with his _sharingan_ the woman trip over her own ankles at his voice and bang her head against the wall. 

"Ow! Saskayy... Urgh... I forgot yowwere her," she said, slurring her words. "And I did say ah wee be late." She switched on the light and dropped her keys onto the carpet. "Oops." She fell down alongside it and started laughing. 

"And you're drunk," he observed. 

"Mhmm," she responded before giggling to herself. "Come over here, you bad boy. Show your wife what you've been waiting for." 

Sasuke stood up, and hid his hand in his trouser pocket as he approached her. He towered over her and grimaced. "Sakura, you don't drink," he informed her. 

The chime of her laughs died down, and her upper body sat up as she eyed Sasuke, glaring at him. "And who told you that? Don't tell me what to do Sasuke UCHIHA!" she snapped back. 

He brought his hand out of his pocket and attempted to pull her up, but when she refused he huffed and crouched down until he was at her level. "Sakura," he said softly, now concerned for her welfare. "I've never seen you drink. I thought you hated it."

"No... I just don't drink in front of you..." she admitted, not meeting his gaze. 

His brows furrowed in confusion and concern mixed in one, and his piercing gaze prodded her to finally look at him and continue. "It's true I didn't drink befer you letht for your mission again. And a few years afr that I didn't either, as I was looking after Sar-da as well as alternating with my shifts at the hospital... But, the days when I was home alone wivout you... I found comfort at the bottom of a bottle... or maybe three," she confessed. 

"Sakura, why didn't you tell me? I had stopped drinking for you," he admitted. 

"I didn't tell you to stop," she pouted. 

"No, but, since you told me about your paren-"

"DON'T!" she stopped him. "Don't you dare speak of them," she seethed. She lunged at Sasuke and hammered her fists onto his chest, tears streaking down. "I don't want anything to do with them! I don't want to hear about them! They're poison! POISON!" 

Sasuke "Ssh"ed her, and stroked her hair lovingly until her frantic cries became mere sobs, and her hammering became fists clutching at his waistcoat. He murmured comforting words to her ear until all she did was tremble within his grasp. "Sakura, it's okay. They can't hurt you or Sarada. I'm here now. Ssh." 

He rested his chin on her hair and stared at the blinding light looming over their heads. After a few passing moments, he found the courage to ask, "Did you see them at work? Is that why you were drinking?" 

"No," she whimpered. "We were celebrating. Me and the girls. My new office. And we were helping Hinata to plan for Naruto's birthday next week. But then we became drunk. I don't remember if we acshhhly helped Hinata." 

"She'll think of something," Sasuke soothed. "And if not, the loser would probably be too dumb to realise it's his own birthday." 

Sakura snorted into Sasuke's chest, stealing a smile from Sasuke's lips. 

"Remember when Obito had to remind Narto that it was his birday during the war?" Sakura mumbled. 

"He's such a dunce," Sasuke commented. 

That earned another snort from his wife. "I can't believe he's going to be Hokage soon. He's come so far," Sakura reflected. 

"Another eight months and he'll finally realise his dream. I can't wait for him to fucking shut up about being Hokage," Sasuke added. At this point she was trembling with laughter as her body was held against him. 

Sasuke's smile grew wider, satisfied that his strategy had worked. He looked down at her and asked, "Sakura, have you eaten?" She hummed back, assuming that was a 'yes', he told her, "I've made lunch for you and Sarada that you can eat tomorrow."

Her head slumped against his shoulder as she said, "You're such a loving husband and a doting father. I love you, Sake-kun." 

"I hope you meant me and not the sake you were drinking all night," he replied, one raven brow raised. 

"Of course," she murmured. 

With his lone hand, he picked them both up and guided Sakura upstairs, her head lolling forwards as sleep succumbed her. He placed her in her bed and undressed her, before dressing her in her winter nightgown and tucking the covers over her. As she slept soundlessly, he brought a glass of water and laid it on the bedside table, and used his basic healing technique against her temple to relieve her from a hangover the next morning. 

He kissed her forehead, and continued with his duties outside of Konoha. 

***

Nights shifted into days, and the cold icicles of Winter soon melted away as Spring took its place; soon after, Summer snuck its way into the world once again, becoming settled and once again, allowing the life which was born in Spring to wander around and discover the mysteries of the world. The transcending of seasons had also come with a husband and wife meeting in secret with gifts, money, and new glasses that the mother would pass off to her daughter as a 'new prescription' from Konoha hospital. 

During his travels, whenever Sasuke happened to pass a hideout that Karin had made home, she never failed to have a small frame of glasses fit for a child. Sasuke would pass on Sakura's thanks and show his own gratitude by not interfering with whatever Orochimaru and his subordinates were up to. The fate of the shinobi world rested upon all their efforts, not just his alone, and that was why he had made the choice of guarding the village his family resided in as shinobi and civilians alike celebrated the inauguration of the long awaited Seventh Hokage. This was his gift to him. The gift to his best friend. Sasuke would look over the village and eradicated any looming threats as his soul brother finally realised his dream. Sasuke was perched upon a rock and looked above at the clouds drifting by, a smile gracing his lips. All three of them had come so far from when they were first assembled into Team Seven... and now they were at the point in their lives where all three of them had finally accomplished their ambitions. 

Back then, their goals and dreams may have seemed wishful thinking by three, eager but naive, children. But, now, here they were. In order to have obtained each of their dreams it had been a struggle, and not a single one of them had been spared, each of them combating a cruel journey as they fought for what they believed in. And once each of them had achieved their dreams, it had been a life-changing experience in ways that none of them had imagined. And it was only now that Naruto would experience that truth for himself. 

Naruto had come such a long way, Sasuke mused. However, becoming Hokage wasn't Naruto's only accomplishment. Naruto had gained so much more before this title: friends, acknowledgement, family... and bringing Sasuke back home. The raven haired man closed his eyes and remembered the times that Naruto had vowed that he could never be Hokage if he wasn't able to bring Sasuke back. Truly, Naruto never went back on his word. They had clashed against each other so many times, the life-long rivals that they were, but one thing that they could agree on was to work alongside each other for a brighter future. If not for themselves, then for the next generation. For Sarada. And Naruto's children. 

The sudden cheers that erupted from the heart of the village that Sasuke had been expecting an hour ago indicated that Naruto had finally taken his place as the Seventh Hokage. The man who resembled daylight, who had inadvertently graced many shinobi like the dark brooding man with his own golden light, would now continue to bathe the world in a shining bright embrace; steering the world towards where no darkness could follow, but only be swallowed whole. A place where no matter who you were, a blinding bright light would engulf you, until nothing was left but a pure soul whom would be welcomed into true peace that Naruto had forged with his friends and even more allies. 

It was a new start for everyone. 

Even for Sasuke. 

With Naruto as Hokage, as the central pillar of the village - _no, the pillar of the shinobi world -_ the safety of the villagers was guaranteed. There was no reason for Sasuke to return to the village so often in discreet to look over the village when Naruto was away on his own missions, as Naruto would no longer be leaving the village frequently. But at the same time... his daughter was now eight years old. She was no longer a fragile three year old... And with the whole world transitioning into a new stage, with Naruto being the catalyst, Sasuke thought maybe it was time to return home... To finally grace his daughter with his presence as this new chapter of peace settles. To give her some explanation, before he departs again. He had forgiven himself for using his _sharingan_ on her all those years ago, and for not telling his wife about it all these years later. Time was truly a great healer. And so...

It was time. 

Sasuke sat still on the rock he was perched upon and watched as the evening sky dwindled away. The bright orange streaks mixed with the kisses of pinks and purples soon drained away, leaving only the deep blue ocean of the sky to swallow the earth up whole, until even shadows slunk away into the darkness. Although there was scarce a glimpse of daylight left, the night sky held the promises of a brighter tomorrow, as the heavens twinkled above the village hidden in the leaves. 

It was only once that darkness had properly settled that Sasuke hopped from one tree to another, finding footing atop a house, before landing himself on the deserted streets of Konoha. The streets that were lined up with restaurants and bars which were usually packed full of drunkards at midnight were tonight left barren as customers and staff alike celebrated in their own homes. As tradition, the inauguration of a new Hokage was treated as a holiday for all civilians. No curious eyes would find him tonight, and even if they did, the darkness of midnight concealed his every movement alongside his chakra signature which he had been careful to keep under wraps. The only colours which were visible in the streets were the bunting that was draped across every corner of the village, a symbolism of peace and that there were no qualms across any clansmen. 

Soon after, Sasuke knocked on the door of his family's home. He could hear muffled talking, and what he made out was "Sar... go have your... get the door. Coming!" 

A brief second passed before the door opened, and he heard a surprised "Sasuke-kun!" come from the most perfectly painted lips. He took in her newly cut hair and her new outfit: she was dressed in a white jacket that hid the black turtle neck underneath, paired with a black pencil skirt that fit snugly around the top of her legs. 

"W-what are you doing here?" she asked, flustered, pink blushes adorning her cheeks. "It's not a good time. Sarada is still awake. We just came back from a party at Iruka-Sensei's house. She's just about to get into the bath, actually. Do you even know what day it is?" 

"Sakura," he breathed out. He took notice of how just the utterance of her name had her heart pounding against her chest. "I came to see Sarada." 

"EH?!" Sakura's eyes went wide as she exclaimed surprise. 

"Mama?!" The Uchiha couple heard from upstairs. "Are you okay, Mama? Is someone bothering you?"

Sakura immediately whizzed her head around, but found that her daughter had not appeared on the landing. "No, no! Don't worry about it! It's just a salesperson!" After hearing an unconvincing murmur, of "Okay, Mama...", Sakura then turned back to her husband. "Sasuke," she whispered to him. "Meet me in the bedroom. I'll leave the window open." 

Not wanting to wait any further, Sasuke used his _rinnengan_ to teleport to Sakura's bedroom. But upon entering, his wide chest was met with a hurried pink Uchiha bashing into him. "Oof!" was what escaped from her lips. "Ah, Sasuke. You know you didn't have to do that."

Sasuke looked towards the locked door and asked, "When will she come out? I want to see her."

He felt his lone hand being dragged, and before he knew it, he was being forced to sit on the double bed. Sakura sat next to him, her brows knitted together in concern as she stroked his hand with both of her own. 

"Sasuke, we need to talk about this. This is all so sudden. It's been a long day for everyone. Do you... do you know why?" 

"Of course," he responded. "The loser's finally become Hokage." 

Sakura closed her eyes for a few moments, and when she reopened them, he knew that she had chosen her next words with care. "Do you really think it's a good idea, Sasuke? You see her, and she sees you. And then what? She'll beg you to stay... I know, as I've done it myself. Do you think you can handle her being rejected by her father once you have to leave again? Do you think _she_ would be able to handle it?" 

Sasuke frowned down at his wife. He understood what she was saying, as that had been exactly what he had been telling her all these years. But it was different now... The world was different. As far as he knew, there were no threats in the forseeable future, and isn't this what Sakura had wanted? For father and daughter to reconcile? So why didn't she understand? 

"She's eight now, isn't she? She's older than when I last saw her. And from what you've told me, she's matured really well. She'll be able to handle it. She is my daughter after all," he affirmed.

"Yes, Sasuke. She is your daughter. But she's _not you,_ " Sakura pleaded with rationality. "Sure, _you_ may have dealt with severe emotional trauma when you were eight, but this is an age of peace. Sarada... she... she's so _young_. She doesn't know what pain is..."

Sasuke took his hand from Sakura and placed it on his knee. "Sakura, why are you trying to stop me? Isn't this what you wanted?"

"I'm not trying to stop you," she clarified. "I just want you to know and understand what to expect. I want you to be sure. I would love it more than anything for you to go and embrace our daughter into your arm and carry her around like you used to... But... I just fear you're clouded with emotions."

"I'm clouded with memories of our daughter." 

Sakura bit her lip. "Just... don't break her heart, Sasuke." He understood her hidden accusation. Under those words, she had also meant, _Don't break it like you broke mine._

"Ah," he replied. 

Sasuke attempted to cut the tension like a knife with his next gestures and words. He brought his hand to her tresses and felt it as it soothed his callused fingers. "I like your hair," he murmured. 

"O-oh!" she stammered. "D-do you? Me and Hinata got our hair cut last week in preparation for today. New hair, new beginnings and all that? I'm expecting a lot more workload now that Naruto's Hokage. He asked for my cooperation in improving the mental facility for adults by changing my title to the 'Medical Director', that sly dog. I accepted, of course. That dufus is still so smooth with his words. I'd love to see him work his magic now as Hokage, haha! Too bad he couldn't make it to Iruka-Sensei's party, I guess he was celebrating with Hinata and the kids at home. Oh, you should hear how Hinata gushes over him! She's still _so_ in love with him, it's unbelievable. But I guess it's understandable, I mean, that is how I feel about you after all this time, so..." Her eyes averted away from his, and she looked down at their feet. He wanted nothing else but for his wife's grassy green eyes to stare right through him again, and bless him with her a piece of her soul.

"Your hair reminds me of when we first got together," he simply stated, as if she had not uttered a single word. 

Sakura placed an index finger on her chin and looked up thoughtfully. "Hmm. Was my hair really this short back then, too?"

"Yeah. I would never forget."

The blush reappeared on the apple of her cheeks, and she met his eyes again, earning a smirk from him at her reaction. "I.. I also remember, Sasuke-kun," she offered meekly. "Our first official date. Do you remember that beautiful sunset?" 

"No," he replied. "But I remember you." He watched every twitch of the muscles of her face, every blink, and watched even closer as her blush deepened. "And I remember our first kiss later that night. I think it went kind of like this..." 

He leaned it closer and stopped halfway, waiting for her to take lead. Their lips collided and stars grew forth our of their love, and fireworks burst behind their eyes as electricity zapped from their fingertips as they ran their hands along each other. They broke contact when they heard, "Mama, the bathroom's free! Goodnight, Mama!" 

Sasuke abruptly sat up and wrenched his hand away from Sakura's waist. He was marching towards the door when he was halted by one of his messenger hawks pecking with impeccable speed at the still closed window. He snapped his head towards the window only to see his wife unlocking it and letting the hawk flutter inside, until it was perched atop Sasuke's left shoulder. The raven-haired man took the note that was attached and frowned as he read its contents. His shoulders stiffened, and the rest of his body tensed up. 

"What is it?" He heard coming from his comforting wife behind him. Soon she was standing by his side. "What's wrong, Sasuke-kun?" 

He gave her the note and paced towards the window, a scowl etched onto his beautifully crafted face. "You're right. It's too soon," he admitted. "I'm sorry, Sakura. I have to go. Maybe next time."

He felt a tug on the back of his cloak and turned around to face his wife. "Will you return soon?"

He looked down at her shiny, beady green eyes. "I don't know, Sakura. But just know that, me leaving this time, my departure, it has nothing to do with you or Sarada. But I need to do this," he explained, hoping that she would understand. 

"I know, Sasuke. You don't have to explain," she consoled. "You were ready to come back to Sarada. And that's enough. Stay safe darling, I love you." 

"Ah," he spoke softly. "Thank you, Sakura."

And as swift as his hawk, he jumped out of the window into the dead of the night. The words scribed onto the letter still ingrained into his mind: 

_Sasuke,_

_The cave you asked me to keep watch over a couple of months ago is starting to emit a faint chakra signature. It feels deadly. Unhuman-like. I can't seem to pinpoint it's actual source, but I know you told me to only write if it's an emergency, and I think this is._

_Also if you drop by I have a new cute outfit for Sarada._

_Karin._

_~_

It was at the cave that Sasuke decided to write to Naruto. Five hours had passed since Sasuke had entered the cave and attempted to travel through dimensions, but strong chakras blocked him wherever he tried to teleport to. 

_Naruto,_

_Request a summit to be held with the other four Kages. No one should know that I will be attending. Don't mess this up._

_Sasuke_

This would be Naruto's first important task as Hokage, Sasuke reflected. And with most important things in Naruto's life, his best friend was involved. But this time, Sasuke sought to lift any burdens from the blonde's life. He would make his Hokage seat easier, if it was the last thing Sasuke did. 

It was five hours past midnight, and Sasuke watched as dawn broke into the sky, filling those that lay beneath the bright orange sky with only sweet dreams of the future. 


	21. Dawn

The breaking of dawn indicated a new chance to right old wrongs, and to breathe new air, and another chance to hold those dear to you. The young and old birds tweeting their morning songs was just another affirmation of this, and the caress of the wind was an endearing stroke that promised good fortunes for those that fought for what they believed in. 

Sasuke overlooked the lands beneath the clifftop he had steadied himself upon, and another stroke of the pen met a blank parchment, waiting to carry its duty. With every word he wrote, a tear tumbled down his cheek, making his words blur together on the paper.

_Sakura,_

_I need to meet with you. It may be our last meeting._

_Meet me at the Hokage tower next month. July 20th. 6pm. Naruto and the other Kages will be there. I will explain everything there._

_I'm sorry._

_Forgive me._

Sasuke's hand trembled as he struggled to write down the next words: 

_I love you._

_Sasuke._

Sasuke's onyx eyes filled with torment followed his hawk's ascent into the sky, and watched as it flew away, taking his words from him, and delivering it to his wife. Hoping it would not break her, as it broke him. 

***

The weeks had dragged by, and with every passing day, Sasuke's heart crushed into a million pieces knowing that the next time he would see his darling wife, may be the last in a long time. With the worries and sorrows that plagued his mind, sleep was not at his disposal, and Sasuke had begun fretting about whether he had truly forgiven himself for all that he had done. 

This decision which he had made himself so long ago, but had only disclosed to the old members of Team 7 and the Hokage's adviser, Shikamaru, would soon be common knowledge between all the other Kages. By admitting what his real mission was all this time - and what it would continue to be - Sasuke would be tied down to the shinobi world for good. He would be known as the one who wandered around the darkest crevices of the earth, and uprooting the most infested species by his own hand, tracking them down with his gifted ocular abilities. It was the life that no man wanted to live: but one that he would have to. And his own past - and present - mistakes were confirmation to him that he could not complain about his current misfortune. If the safety of his family meant that he had to go on a thousand more redemption journeys, then so be it. Whether it was the duty of being a father, a husband, a best friend, or a shinobi, Sasuke would see through his role to the end - obediently. 

The day had come to an end, but Sasuke could no longer take it anymore. He needed to see his wife. He needed to feel her body against him. He _needed_ her. In every way possible. He opened up a black whirlpool of chakra before him and entered, passing through it until he found himself embraced in the confinements of her bedroom; the smell of her perfume clung onto his cloak like a desperate lover who no longer wanted to be parted from their other half. 

Sasuke disrobed himself until he was standing in only his shirt and trousers. He had folded his cloak and waistcoat on the nightstand, his shoes placed neatly beside the bed. He could hear movement coming from the newer side of the house, and so he dropped a vase hoping to garner her attention. Soon enough, his wife came scurrying inside but skidded to a halt when she came eye to eye with her husband. 

"Sasuke-kun! I wasn't expecting to see you until tomorrow!" she exclaimed in a hushed whisper. 

She locked the door behind her and padded forward towards the broken vase, attempting to piece it together, but failing, and ultimately leaving it as a pile in the bin. Sasuke's eyes attempted to undress her, but her white bathrobe insultingly concealed every inch of her curves, and the black leggings she wore underneath hinted that she only wore the bathrobe for comfort, and for no other reason. Sasuke frowned at her choice of dressing for the night. 

"I know," he muttered. "But I couldn't wait."

"Oh... Well, is it okay if you wait a bit longer? I was helping Sarada study for her exams tomorrow. I'm guessing Naruto thought if the people of the village are preoccupied with different tasks tomorrow then they won't bother him at the office..." her words faltered when she noticed the frown lines on Sasuke's forehead. "I'm sorry, Sasuke. I won't be longer than an hour."

"Half an hour," he demanded. 

Sakura creased her eyes to slits and twisted her lips in protest. "Ah... I'll see what I can do Sasuke," she finally said. 

When she turned around, he saw the Uchiha crest on her back and a jolt of pride surged through him, forcing a small smile to play on his lips as he waited with only thoughts of her lingering in his mind. 

It was another forty minutes before his wife passed the threshold again. 

"You're late," he commented, his face a blank expression with no hint of annoyance nor amusement painted on him. 

"We were eating dinner," she defended herself. "I was able to sneak some up for you. Sarada is going to study some more, and then she'll be in bed after an hour or so. I told her I need an early night as I have a long shift tomorrow. So you have my full attention, don't worry, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke took the bento box clothed in a blue cloth which had the Uchiha crest stitched onto it. "Thanks," he mumbled. He sat on the bed and united the knot whilst Sakura sat beside him and took the chopsticks that were placed inside. 

"Here, let me," she offered. He watched as she deftly scooped a handful of rice and salmon and skilfully let the imprisoned bundle of food fall within his parted lips. He watched in amusement as a light blush adorned her elegant features at the intimate moment they were both engulfed in. "Tamaki was kind enough to make us some of these cloths. This way the other kids would stop 'accidentally' taking Sarada's lunch at school," Sakura explained. "We have quite a few, so I can wrap up tomorrow's dinner for you."

Sasuke smiled at her thoughtfulness. _Thank you_. "In return, I've brought Sarada some clothes from Karin. And a new pair of glasses," he informed her as he handed her the scrolls from his satchel. 

Sasuke's heart warmed as he saw Sakura's face brighten up with a smile that could be compared to the sun. "She's too sweet! The next time you see her, thank her from me," Sakura said gleefully. Sakura then looked at the empty bento box in her hand and stood up. "Ah, I'll just go and wash these," she said. 

But before she could take another step, he took the box from her hand and placed it on the bookshelf. "Do it in the morning," he ordered her. "We have more important things to do."

She placed the chopsticks on top of the bento box and rubbed the back of her head. "Ah, of course. I suppose you want to talk to me about tomorrow-"

"No. No talking. Not tonight, Sakura."

"But-"

"Tonight, our bodies will do the talking," he preempted, as his onyx eye shone with lust, and he drew her closer to him until soft skin was meshed together with a hardened abdomen, their clothes being the only offenders coming inbetween the two lovers. His hand found her face and he caressed her cheeks, allowing the warmth of her skin to consume him until he felt like he would melt into her. His hand then slid lower, and lower still, until his hand was working to free her from the confinements of her bathrobe. As soon as the white cotton hit the floor, his mouth was on her collarbone, feeding into her until she was struggling to stifle a moan. 

He could feel her hands climbing up his chest, attempting to free his naked skin from the infuriating clothes that shackled him. He drew away from her exposed neck for a second to help her dislodge his shirt, and then the rest of the clothes that at this present time was only a nuisance to him. His next move was to push her down onto the bed, but her strength was immeasurable and she prevented him from taking the lead any further. Her strength and the assumption of her intentions aroused him even further, his need only becoming stronger. She guided him towards the bed and pushed him down. He watched in amazement as she bit her lip slowly and seductively. She was a seductress. And he was her willing victim. His _sharingan_ sprang forth and lazily swirled as he took in the act she was displaying for him. She shed her clothes like a snake sheds its skin, and he observed in delight as each of her motions were tactful and well-planned out, as if she had had a strategy devised for a night like this for a while. 

After finding paradise together through a series of whispered names and sighs, and delicate touches that left them wanting more, he lay panting on the mattress beneath him, and turned his head to the left to see that his enchantress was doing the same. A satisfied smile both graced their lips, and he turned on his side so that he was facing her. He drank in all of her: her beauty and grace that only flourished in the light of the moon that had seeped in through the cracks of the curtains. The silver light illuminated her naked state, and she flourished beneath it. His only complaint was that she would not turn to face him, but instead she stood staring up at the ceiling. 

"You know, I once told Naruto, that when a girl falls in love, her feelings don't change so easily," whether she was speaking to herself or to him, it was unbeknownst to him. "I still stand by that."

"You think it's different for a man?" he asked. 

"What?" she finally turned to face him, her smile replaced with a quizzical look. 

"It's nothing," he muttered. 

"No, no. You can't just say that and not continue. Like I said, you have my full attention. So tell me, when was it that you fell in love with me, Sasuke Uchiha?" she probed. 

Sasuke gulped. He had always managed to avoid that conversation. "I... I don't know," he replied, meekly. He saw the way her green eyes dulled, and so added, "But I know that I cared for you deeply when we were _genin_. I knew you were important to me. And so that time at the bridge... even though I knew what you were offering, to desert the village for me, was a lie. A part of me wanted to believe it. Seeing you again... it resurfaced old feelings... of you. And so it hurt even more when I knew you were attempting to assassinate me. Fighting with you... Sakura, you're the last person I've ever wanted to hurt. Even back then. Fighting with a true love is like boxing with no gloves. I never should have grabbed you like that-"

"Sasuke, stop. You don't have to-"

"Sakura, I want to. Let me apologise," he begged. He noticed how this was at least the second time when she had shut him down when he had attempted to apologise for his tainted past.

"No. You already have, Sasuke-kun. And besides, I didn't ask you to apologise to me. I've already forgiven you for all of that. I asked you when you fell in love," Sakura reminded him, her voice faltering at the memory of his dark past. Her lashes came down to protect her tears from falling, but they fell anyway. He removed the traces of her sorrows with a kiss on her tears. 

"Maybe it was then," he whispered to her. Her eyes fluttered open at his confession. "Maybe it was when you forgave me. At daybreak. Or even before that, I don't know, Sakura. All I know is that I love you more than I can bear." 

He felt her hand wrap around his torso, bringing him closer to her. He brought his own hand over her waist, and his lips to rest on her forehead, and it was like that they fell asleep. In each other's embrace, clothed in only each other. Never wanting to let go. 

When he awoke in the morning, he felt the absence of his wife immediately. There was no pink strands of hair framing a loving face beside him, no soft skin wrapped around him, and no warm breaths tickling his body. He was about to drift back to sleep with a fresh twang in his heart, when he smelt the bitter smell of coffee near him. He rubbed his eyes only to see his wife sitting cross-legged on her pillow, adorned in her white bathrobe, sipping coffee as she read a newspaper. 

He sat up beside her. "You didn't wake me up," he pointed out. "And you didn't bring me coffee."

He watched as she lowered the cup from her lips, and her green eyes widened at his comment. "Oh... I didn't think you'd want me to wake you up. Sorry, Sasuke," she apologised. She showed the contents of her mug to Sasuke and added, "I'd offer you some of mine, but as you can see it's finished now. Besides, I added quite a few spoons of sugar, so it'd be too sweet for you. I know you like it strong and bitter... and dark. Just like yourself," she giggled. "If you want, I can make you some now. Sarada's already left for school. Choji came with his daughter to pick her up ten minutes ago." She was about to hoist herself out of bed when Sasuke placed his hand on her knee. 

"Don't bother," he stated. "I can still have a taste."

He heard a "Huh?" before he closed his lips against hers. Their lips moulded together, and he felt fully awakened by the act: whether it was her lips or the caffeine, he was not sure. But he knew it felt good. He placed his hand under her chin for good measure and deepened the kiss, before drawing away. 

"You were right," he smirked at her as her face became a bright red. "Too sweet." 

He took the mug from his speechless wife and clothed himself in a bathrobe he kept sealed in one of his scrolls, and made his way to the kitchen to make breakfast, which was soon followed by a well deserved shower.

The rest of the morning and the afternoon was spent with his wife who could barely muster anything the entire day they spent together. The teaching of chakra control, studying and cooking together, learning about more basics of healing and slow dances were all adorned with light blushes. 

They were in the living room with the curtains drawn and candles lit. His hand rested on her lower cheeks and and her arms were flung over his neck as she nuzzled her face into his chest. They swayed together, their synchronising heartbeat the only music to their ears as they held onto each other as if their lives depended on it. As if, if they let go, either of them would forget how to work the natural orchestration of allowing oxygen to pass through their bodies. They were each other's life lines. Why would they let go? 

He felt his shirt dampening, and so he raised his hand to her face, lifting her chin up until glassy green eyes stared back at him. "Sakura..." he whispered to her, hoping just her name alone would her soothe her. 

She sniffled. "Sasuke, I know you said you didn't want to speak about it last night, but I need to know. What did you mean when you wrote that this would be our last meeting? What are you planning to do?" she interrogated him, flinging her open heart at him which she had been holding close to her chest all day. 

He traced her tears with his index finger and hushed back, "Sakura. Let's not do this now. Let us savour these last moments."

Her right hand slid down to his chest and she gripped a fistful of his shirt as she spat out, "If you're planning to sacrifice yourself for the sake of the world, I will hunt your body cells down, you selfish bastard."

What was she saying? 

Sasuke's brows rose in surprise for a split second, but then his eyes softened as to the realisation of what she had confessed. She would really be willing to use a forbidden _jutsu_ to bring him back to life?"Sakura, I'm not planning on leaving you like that just yet," he consoled her. 

She blinked back her tears and furrowed her pink brows. "Then what is it?" she asked. 

"I'll explain everything later at the summit. I promise."

The last thing he said to his blushing wife before he left was, "If anyone asks, you haven't seen me."

***

At 5pm he met up with Naruto in his office. "Loser," he called upon entering. 

"Ah, bastard! You made it! And you should really call me by my new title, you know!" Naruto grinned back at him from his Hokage seat. 

"How does it feel to be a bigger loser than before, you idiot?" Sasuke asked. Sasuke threw his cloak across the room, and watched as Naruto grabbed it instinctively without hesitation, before placing in on the desk.

"Oi oi! You're talking to the Hokage, you know!" Naruto snapped back, refusing to wipe off the stupid grin off his face. 

"Hn. The village is proud of you," Sasuke said. Naruto leaned forward in his desk, studying Sasuke's stoic expression before concluding, "A-HA! That's your way of saying you're proud of me, isn't it, Sasuke?" Naruto assessed. 

"Whatever," Sasuke retorted back, before offering a small knowing smile at his best friend. 

"Sasuke, I've missed you, you know," Naruto happily shared, leaning back into his comfy office chair. "It's good to have you in the village."

"Don't get used to it," he mumbled back. 

At that comment, Naruto's face became serious. "Gaara and Kurotsuchi are already here at the village. We're still waiting on Chojuro and Darui, though," Naruto informed him. "So are you going to tell me what this is about? Why you asked me to call them all the way over here? Because if they ask me, I have nothing to offer them."

"That's your problem," Sasuke said. 

"HEY!"

"Don't worry, I'll be at the meeting. I'll explain everything there."

~

It was 5:57pm, and all the Kages had assembled at the Hokage tower with Shikamaru guarding the door to not allow any unauthorised personnel to enter. 

"It's been a long time, Uchiha," Gaara greeted Sasuke formally. 

"Ah, yes it has," Sasuke greeted him back. 

"And you're still as handsome as ever," the new Tsuchikage winked at him. "Too bad you're taken," she sighed. "It's always the handsome ones." 

"If you're not careful, you'll turn into a crazy hag like the Fifth Mizukage," Darui chipped in. 

"Hey! Don't say anything bad about Lady Mizukage!" the new Mizukage hit back. 

Sasuke looked around him and wondered how the shinobi world would keep afloat with these fools as leaders. And the biggest fool was standing beside him...

"Eh, Sasuke! Everyone's here, so why don't we start, huh? You're the one who wanted all us Kages assembled," Naruto probed him, cutting the petty squabbles to a stop. 

All eyes were on him. It was still 5:59pm, and so his only excuse was - "It's not 6pm yet." But his lame excuse was drowned out by shouting outside the guarded door. 

"Shikamaru, you let me in or I'll break down this door!"

"Ehehe... Sakura, please... It's only authorised people today..."

"I know Sasuke's in there! So let me in!"

"This isn't the time or place to have a domestic-"

"It's not about that! I _know_ there's a conference going on. I _know_ it includes the fate of the shinobi world. Don't you know who I am? I'm-"

"His wife, I know. As he keeps saying-"

"No! I mean, yes, but-" Sasuke imagined Sakura's cheeks flamed in red as she sputtered out, "I'm one of those who ended the Fourth War! Without me, you wouldn't be standing here today. So you let me in, you troublesome little-"

"If she asks, I wasn't flirting with you earlier," the Tsuchikage whispered to Sasuke. 

The door swung open and in came a pink haired _kunoichi_ and the Hokage's adviser who looked like he wanted nothing more than to evaporate and join the clouds. "Sorry about that," Shikamaru apologised half-heartedly.

"It's fine," Sasuke said, shutting down any further conversation from erupting. 

Naruto looked between Sasuke and Sakura with one brow raised, trying to decipher what the hell just happened. Before Naruto could speculate any further, Sasuke cleared his throat so that all attention was on him, and him alone. Any curious eyes that were on Sakura dissipated, and were now only fixated on the Uchiha by blood. 

"Hear me out..." he began. "The reason I assembled everyone today... Naruto and I managed to to seal Kaguya away, but... despite her formidable power she was still trying to create an army of white Zetsu in preparation for war. That's always bothered me, and I've been tracing her roots," he confessed to his wife, the five Kage and some of their advisers. 

"And I learned that the white Zetsu soldiers... existed long before shinobi ever did," he continued. It was what he had been able to piece together from the pieces of intel he had gathered that Shikamaru had been able to piece together for him. 

"What does it mean?" Darui asked, leaning forward in anticipation. 

Sasuke closed his eyes. "This part... is purely conjecture, but..." Sasuke looked at the Kages sitting before him, wanting them to take his next words seriously. "What I believe this indicates is... the possibility that something that'd frighten even Kaguya could one day appear..." 

He let his words hang in the air for a while, before his wife voiced what perhaps every one else was thinking. "You mean there's another Kaguya type out there somewhere?!" she asked in desperation, hoping that her interpretation of his words were incorrect. 

He turned to his wife who was holding her left fist to her chest as if ready to punch any threat into oblivion. "It's not out of the question," he told her. 

At this confirmation, the Mizukage spoke up. "But... how're we supposed to explain that to people who haven't finished recovering from this war?!" He asked, keeping in mind the shinobi in his village who did not have an advanced mental health facility like Konoha. "The enemy's just too vague..."

"Yeah, it's still only a guess. It'll merely inflame anxiety," the Tsuchikage pitched in. "We ought to keep it to ourselves, the Gokage council, for now."

"I agree," the Kazekage commented. 

Naruto turned to Sasuke and suggested, "Sasuke, I'll join you and-"

But Sasuke was quick to interject. "You stay and protect the village as Hokage. I with my _rinnengan_ am the only one who can look into this," Sasuke reminded the Hokage. "You do what you're meant to do... and I'll do what I'm meant to do. That's the _collaboration_ you always wanted, isn't it?" 

His words stunned Naruto into silence, as he knew full well that his words held the truth, and that what Naruto had always wanted was a brotherhood with him to help maintain peace. Sasuke was offering Naruto something that the blonde could not turn down, no matter which way he looked at it. 

Sasuke turned his attention back to the rest of the room: the other four Kages. "Listen," he said, garnering back their full attention. "Treat my movements as a top secret mission known only to the councillors here. 

"The future ought to stay bright. Am I wrong?"

And with that final closing statement, it was unanimously agreed that Sasuke would continue to track down whatever threat Kaguya was afraid of. And he would do it alone. 

A look of longing passed between the Uchiha couple that went unnoticed by everyone else, except for... "Hey, hey. What is it with you two?" Naruto asked, dumbfounded. "I swear you two haven't seen each other in years, yet-"

"Naruto," Sasuke said, causing Naruto to stop overthinking. "We should go and make preparations. I'll need all the information I've gathered from the past few years into one scroll."

"Hmm... That'll take a few hours to do..." Naruto contemplated. Sasuke was sure that even as the matured Hokage he was now, Naruto could barely multitask without the use of his shadow clone _jutsu,_ and by occupying him with a lengthy task, he would be sure to drop the subject about himself and Sakura. 

Sasuke dragged Naruto away from the rest of the group after he shared a hug with Gaara, and promised to get a drink with him the next day, and said farewells to the rest of the Kages as well as Sakura-chan. 

Sasuke kept Naruto preoccupied with conversation on how they would protect the future, most of the conversation leading back to the scroll they were putting together. They had eventually made their way back to the room where the conference was held, and Sasuke had left his cloak on the cushioned bench in front of him, where the Kazekage had sat only a few hours before. Both saviours of the world looked outside and reflected upon the past, present and future.

The evening drifted away, until all that was left was a blank canvas of the night sky, with not a star in sight. It was a strange thing for a city that was usually gifted with starlight was suddenly repressed from its blessings. Like he had not seen his Sarada for so many years, maybe this was the point where even the stars would start to fade away from him, abandoning him, as he had abandoned her... and now his wife. 

"...Shadow Hokage," Naruto suggested.

"What?"

"Idiot! Don't ignore me. As I was saying, I may be the Hokage from inside the village, but as the protector from the outside, you're like the Shadow Hokage," Naruto insisted. 

"Hn." Sasuke swooped up his cloak and concealed himself and his _katana_ beneath it. The finality of his actions was understood by his companion, as Naruto asked, "Are you leaving already?" 

"I'll send word if I find anything," Sasuke responded, as he finished clasping his cloak on at the front.

Naruto turned to face Sasuke, and intruded into his personal affairs once more. "It wouldn't hurt to stop by your house, would it?"

Sasuke didn't plan on entertaining any of Naruto's suspicions, and so he replied with the only way he knew how: by addressing his mission at hand. "The existence of a threat like Kaguya, who nearly destroyed the world, could arise again if we're not diligent." Sasuke's stern onyx eye flickered towards Naruto. "We can't afford to ignore any trace of it." 

Naruto seemed to accept that as an answer as he agreed with, "It was a peace that was secured with huge sacrifices, after all." 

"This is... also a journey of atonement for me," Sasuke confessed, thinking back to how he had been the cause of Sarada's poor sight, and how he had been too much of a coward to be upfront with his wife about it. Sakura had been right; the night Naruto had become Hokage, Sasuke was clouded with emotions. How could he have reentered his daughter's life knowing that he hadn't yet atoned for his sins? 

"No one has any bitterness towards you anymore," Naruto assured him with a hint of amusement in his voice. But Sasuke wasn't so sure about that. Even if it were true... Would Sakura really forgive him after years of deceit and secrecy, when he himself had made her swear to not keep secrets? Could he live with himself? Despite his frantic thoughts, he hoped Naruto would not catch on to his wavers, however, Naruto turned to face Sasuke once again and tried to sway his decisions once more. "Come on, Sasuke, together we can..."

But Sasuke interjected once more and corrected him. "I'm the only one, with my _rinnengan_ , who can search for traces of Kaguya," he protested. "You do what you're meant to do, and I'll do what I'm meant to," he reiterated, hoping Naruto would get off his back and accept their fates. _His_ fate. And to drive it home even further, he added once more, "Isn't this the collaboration you always wanted?" Not wanting to hear any further protests, Sasuke turned towards the exit and affirmed, "Listen, treat my movements as a top secret mission that only the top brass know about."

But just as he was about to reach for the door handle, Naruto's voice of reason cut through. "Not knowing anything hurts, you know. Sarada should, at least..." Naruto spoke solemnly. 

Sasuke faced Naruto and gave him a slither of the truth. "Knowing will only create unnecessary anxiety," he affirmed, knowing how just his unexpected absences had once affected her so deeply. At least this way, his absences were steady, and she could live some sort of normality without him. 

"She may resent you some day," Naruto pointed out.

Sasuke was already aware of Naruto's fears, and so all he had left to say, was, "Even if she does. The future ought to stay bright. Am I wrong?" he challenged Naruto again. 

Naruto hesitated with an answer, and so Sasuke left Naruto puzzled at his best friend's marital and familial relations. Sasuke left the Hokage tower, and waited in the alleyway outside the hospital for a well-known pink-haired medical director. As if on cue, she jumped down a window and greeted him. 

"Sasuke-kun, I thought you would have left already by now," she admitted, her brows knitting together as she worried on her lip. 

With his hand in his pocket, he lifted himself off the wall he was leaning on and tread towards the figment of his most ethereal dreams. "I needed to see you one last time," he told her. "And I need to know that you'll be okay." 

She wrung her hands in front of her clothed navel and looked up at his crimson red eye. "Is this really the last time, Sasuke? Won't you come back?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.

Her petite frame before him, the unshed tears that threatened to form in her pristine jade eyes, and her floral pink hair were almost enough to make him take back the words he had spoken in the summit. But he had made a promise to those he loved, and to those the rest of the world depended upon for security, and he would not let them down. His heart felt like thorns and shards of glass all wrapped up in one heavy bag, and he could barely imagine how the beauty in front of him felt. 

"I can't waste anymore time," he choked out. 

"How long...?" she asked, trying her best to hold his stare. 

_As long as it takes._

The only sound that could be heard was the rustling of the nearby trees. When he didn't answer her, she whispered, "I understand, Sasuke-kun. You don't have to worry about us. Sarada has me, so you don't need to worry about sending money or anything else. She'll be fine, as she has been." She had answered the anxieties which he hadn't even forced himself to face, and he loved her for it even more. Surely, sometimes her eyes could penetrate the heart and see better than his majestic eyes. 

As if she could read his heart like an open book, her right hand slowly ascended until it parted his bangs on the left side of his face. The purple ripples of his _rinnengan_ bore into her, and he could almost hear her own heart thudding with _You're so beautiful._

"I trust that Sarada will be fine with you. More than fine. But... I worry about you the most," he professed. "If you ever feel alone... just know that I'm here-" He brought his index finger and poked her heart. "-And here," he informed her as he poked her diamond seal. She let out a small burst of laughter and touched her seal, almost as if by touching the same spot where his fingers had lingered just moments before, it would seal this moment forever, and keep the two lovers frozen in time where no connected hearts needed to be severed or broken. The broken smile she gave him fluttered his ruptured heart in response. 

"You don't need to worry about me Sasuke... It's because, as long as I have a piece of you, as long as I have Sarada, I know I'll always be connected to you. I know I'll always be with you, and you with me. Your home is beside me, and this is where we will be waiting. And so we will wait. As long as we are under the same sky, for that day I will wait, silently and strongly... until you have done your good deeds and when the time is right, we can be a family once again," Sakura soothed his aching heart with her words of love and ardour, with her voice as soft as silk. But what was meant to mend him only broke him further. His knees buckled under him, and his head fell forward until he was a deconstructed mess, and not the silent saviour of the world he was meant to be. He sobbed into her red dress, but none of her touches could appease him. It was only when she knelt down and took his face into her hands and kissed his temple did he stifle the pain that had leaked out from his accursed eyes. 

"Sasuke, I meant what I said. We'll be waiting, and thank you for today. It meant a lot to me," she told him as she stroked his hair. "Thank you for spending your time with me."

He brought his fingers to feel her hair one last time. The silkiness of the pink threads of fate which had brought him back home time and time again now slipped away each time he tried to grasp it. In the end his hand went to her back and he brought her into a hug. 

"It was nothing. I just wanted to show you how grateful I am to you. So, Sakura, thank you for being my wife," he thanked her, gratitude thrumming each word as it spilled from his lips. He felt her arms tighten around him before relaxing again. Together, they both brought themselves up and spoke their last farewells. 

"It's time," Sakura observed, her voice deflating as she spoke the inevitable parting. 

"Ah, it is," he agreed solemnly. 

"Remember that in order to use your _rinnengan_ and _mangekyo sharingan_ for long periods of time simultaneously, you need to ensure your chakra control is strong and thin like a thread swimming through the hole of a needle," she fussed over him, reminding him of their conversation earlier in the day.

"Hn."

"And remember to heal yourself whenever you get the chance. You also need to eat and bathe as often as you can. Tonight's dinner is packed and sealed in your scroll so-"

"I know, Sakura."

"And Sasuke-kun?"

"What is it?"

"I love you."

She had freed a smile from his shattered face, and he closed the distance between them with a kiss full of longing, passion and hope. _I love you. A thousand times over. I swear I love you_. 

And so, a wife was left in a cold and desolate alley, with only the footsteps of her estranged husband walking away from her. She counted each step he took until even his shadows had escaped her vision. He was gone, and who knew when he would return? 

For him, he felt like he was forever walking away from home. Walking away from his beloveds. But as the dawn broke into the sky once again, he reminisced of a time when dawn had once symbolised a new start in life: a new way to see the world. To see the flowers bloom, to feel the sun's warm rays come down and shower every being in love, and to see the stars twinkle with pride at night, waiting patiently for the next morning. 

Sasuke reflected on Sakura's words: _As long as we are under the same sky, for that day I will wait, silently and strongly..._ Even if he were to be under a different sky, he knew that her love knew no bounds and it would reach him even in the most coldest, loneliest nights, just as it had many times before. Sasuke knew that for days to come, the silent morning chill would dictate the tales of Sakura and Sasuke, and that their love for each other would be heard in the wind. For months to come, the morning sun rays would rejoice at her ever-forgiving attitude laced with compassion, and he would be able to continue to embrace her forgiveness wherever he journeyed. For years to come, those that had been healed by her hands would tell the stories of how she was once loved by a man who at first glance, seemed to have a heart of stone, but as you peered closer, and sealed away the cracks and crevices that had surfaced after years of trauma, all you would find was a loving and gentle soul. 

He let the dawn embrace him, and he continued on his journey of atonement. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I desperately want to finish writing this fanfic, but at the same time I don't want to stop? 
> 
> I think I want to stop after Sasuke Retsuden but I'm unsure of when that happens in the anime/manga timeline. Somewhere in between, right? 
> 
> Also, I love the SasuSakuSara content the anime has been feeding us lately, ahhh. Although I was quite anxious as I feared that some scenes may contradict with my story, as I want to ensure my story is canon-compliant, but instead it worked in my favour! That episode about Sakura worried about Sarada's eyes? Perfect! Sasuke being overprotective over Sarada? Perfect! 
> 
> Anyway, what did you think of this chapter? What did you think of my take with the Kage summit/conference? 
> 
> Let me know! 


	22. Nightfall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sasuke's deep in his feels.

Across the lands, rain or shine, the people of the earth would bathe in the sun's glory and drink in its illuminating glow. Mothers, fathers and children alike would share each other's laughter and happiness in the afterglow of the sunlight, and bask in the heavenly shimmer of the moonlight. The stars would guide a traveller on their way, allowing them to follow its light that paved a way for them, and in doing so, the said traveller would find comfort in the knowledge that their loved ones were safe beneath the blanket of the same sky. And it was like this that the days and nights of Sasuke Uchiha would pass: with longing and a desperation of hope. 

It was nightfall, and almost two years since he had left the mother of his child with tears streaking down his own face, as he wished she would be strong where he could not. In his eyes, she was the stronger of the two, whether that was emotionally or physically; she could move mountains and heal hearts and broken souls as well as she could heal torn limbs and crack boulders. She was a magnificent healer, where he was a tragic destroyer - in another world, their fate may have been a story of two tragic lovers where their paths barely collided as they were polar opposites: a story of an angel and a demon. That was the alternate story of Sasuke and Sakura. A story where each touch he received from her cast him in an illuminating light, almost blinding him to the point where he believed that in order to not stray from what he believed awaited in his fate, he needed to delve further into the darkness, where no light would reach him. However, after centuries of turmoil and heartbreak and severing bonds with past relations, another light found him, and brought him home to his Sakura. No matter which way he looked at it, Sakura would always be his home; his safe haven. 

Sasuke sat before his self-made furnace out in the wilderness, and recalled with his _sharingan_ the letters him and his wife had been conversing through for the last few months: 

_My dear Sasuke-kun,_

_It's been a while since I've heard from you. How have you been? Sarada and I were at the market stalls the other day when I stopped by a tomato stall out of habit. Sarada asked me why I always seem to have a forlorn expression when I am deciding which tomatoes are the ripest to buy, when the market lady answered for me. She told Sarada, "Your father used to be my number one regular customer back in the day. He would buy a few choice tomatoes before going across to buy some flowers which you picked out for your gorgeous mother. Do you know when he'll be returning?"_

_I'm not sure how Sarada took that, but she didn't speak much for the rest of the day. Sometimes I find it hard to read her emotions. But on the plus side, it's good to know that the people of our village don't hold animosity towards you, don't you agree, darling?_

_Stay safe._

_Forever yours,_

_Sakura._

_~_

_Sakura,_

_I am sorry I haven't been writing much. I've been travelling almost daily from one town to the next._

_If the mention of me upsets her that much, then it may be best that you try to avoid the topic where you can._

_Thank you._

_Sasuke._

_~_

_My beloved,_

_I try my best to fill your absence with my presence, but I fear Sarada misses you more than she lets on. It's even harder to ensure that she knows she is loved by both her parents when you no longer want me to share stories of how you have loved her, and how you still love her from afar in your own way._

_Sasuke, I miss you so much and I miss your words too. Please don't write back until you get some time to yourself. I want to be able to read your words and let it soothe me to sleep before I am forced to erase any evidence of you._

_I love you with all my heart._

_Your wife._

_~_

_Wife,_

_I know it's been five months since I received your letter, but it is only because I did as you requested. I miss you too. Your absence haunts me: I see you in the billowing leaves and the buds that are ready to bloom. I feel your touch when a plain of grass brushes my ankles. I hear your soothing voice when I come upon a waterfall and hear the water gush forth. I see your milky complexion when I look upon the moon at night, and I am reminded of your soft pink locks whenever I pass a cherry blossom tree. If the buds have not bloomed then I try to linger in the same place until I am sure it will bloom with as much ferocious beauty as you._

_But above all, I miss your love. Your compassion. Your comfort. You._

_I have travelled the world and dimensions for half of my life, but the only moments in my life that I cherished it the most was when you - and then Sarada - were by my side._

_Burn this._

_S.U._

_~_

_My love,_

_Thank you._

_You cannot imagine how hard it was for me to burn that last letter. The dying embers that were left sparked a faucet of emotions out of me. I hope that you can return soon, although I know that is a tenuous dream, far out of our reach. Me and Naruto will continue to do whatever we can from over here, and support you in whatever way we can as you protect the world from where you are._

_If you ever need anything, please do not hesitate to ask._

_I wanted to tell you that I have been filling out forms for Sarada having to enter the Academy next year. She's growing up so fast, it kind of excites me but scares me simultaneously. But I know she will far exceed our expectations. She's just like you were once, my love. I know she will also be in great care, as our friend Shino is due to be their homeroom teacher next year._

_I also wanted to inform you that after all these aggravating years, we are finally coming close to figuring out what caused Sarada's second wave of fever that activated her_ sharingan _for the first time. Right now, all results are pointing towards an ocular user to have instigated it, but I do not understand how that could have been possible. I have a few theories that keep me up at night, but I am sure that they will be proven false after a few more tests..._

_Your loving wife,_

_Sakura_

The once sole Uchiha survivor looked down at the letter he had received from Sakura earlier that morning, and he dropped it into the growling flames that consumed each stroke of the pen until there was nothing left but ashes. Sasuke's forehead creased as he frowned down at the revelation of Sakura's words: what did it mean? Did she suspect that _he_ was the culprit? Did she have evidence that he had betrayed her trust and contaminated their daughter with his sinful eye? Would she still love him if she knew her suspicions were well-founded? Would she forgive him? These questions spurred around his mind, leaving him clouded and torn. But above all else, one question echoed in his mind louder than any other... 

Did she not deserve the truth?

With a heavy heart, Sasuke packed his scarce belongings and stood up, and glared at the full moon that harboured all his secrets in the nightfall. Whatever happened, he wanted to see his wife at least one last time. He wanted to ingrain her loving features into his mind where it would be etched forever, burnt into his memory. And so he concocted a portal out of his mystical purple spirals and allowed it to journey him through space until he was perched upon a windowsill in the dead of night. 

The ivory thin streaks of the moonlit night seeped in through the slight tears that was created from the slight parting of two curtains, and made its way onto a figure in the stillness of the night. The secrets of the moon had fallen upon a bewitching woman who cradled herself in the form of a crescent moon. Her pink hair was shaded an alluring silver, and it was swept across her shoulder, almost completely concealing the thin, yellow strap of her nightgown. She trembled in the heat of a summer night, and muffled noises could be heard arising from her petite form. How often did she cry herself to sleep, he wondered. And were all her nightmares infested with him tearing their family apart, he deliberated. The illusionist cast one more glance over her, before he left his note on the empty pillow beside her:

_Sakura,_

_You have probably figured it out by now. So I might as well come clean._

_On two instances I used my_ sharingan _on Sarada to erase and manipulate her memories. My intentions had her best interests at heart. I never meant for her to get hurt. I did not consider the consequences until it was too late. I have only ever wanted to keep our daughter safe. And at some point, I realised that that meant she would be safer without me by her side._

_I want to thank you for everything up until now._

_I know this is selfish of me to ask, and I am unworthy of your answer, but will you still have me? I will await your response._

_Sorry._

_Sasuke_

With one last look, he retreated from the personification of spring, and left a part of his trudging heart in her room full of fading memories. He would not return again, nor seek her heart out with his words until she reached out to him. It was only fair this way, he thought. She would need time to take in what she had already speculated, and she would need space to analyse what he had dropped on her. Space and time... something which he would give her, but ironically what his space-time _ninjutsu_ would not allow him to speed his way through. 

***

Time trickled by like how a raindrop slides down a window, attempting to cling onto the glass for as long as it can without earning anyone's interest into its intentions, but failing as it loses control and leaves a path of evidence that clearly states that it has fallen. Sasuke compared himself to one of those raindrops - no matter how much he tried to conceal his emotions from the outside world, there was always that _one_ who had the curious ability to peer into a page of his heart. 

Sasuke sat at the hearth of an inn drinking some green tea, watching the rain patter away at the window when the elderly innkeeper sat beside him. 

"What's her name?" the old woman asked. 

Sasuke showed none of his surprise at the absurd question and continued looking outside, searching for something to focus on rather than the teardrops of the heavens. Sasuke only looked up when he felt the mug slip away from his sole hand. He looked at the withered old woman to find that she was refilling his mug with more boiling water. She handed him back the mug and took a sip from her own. 

"You two must have hell of a story and a deep bond if you've fallen that hard for her," the innkeeper chuckled. 

Sasuke raised a questioning brow at the elderly woman. 

"Oh don't deny it! I've seen that look on a thousand men in my lifetime, but none that pained as you," she answered with a smug grin on her face. "She must be a real beauty for you to miss her so."

"That's none of your business," Sasuke finally conversed, his face as hard as stone. 

The old woman's eyes crinkled in amusement. "So there _is_ a woman," she sneered, satisfied that her hunch was right. "These old bones of mine never lie," she cackled, as she left him pondering on how a crazy, old woman could read him so easily. 

Sasuke huffed as he drank the last of his tea, and looked at the residue left by the drink. He frowned down at it, hoping he would earn an answer and tell him why his wife had not written back to him after eight months. Was it all really over? Had she finally let him go? Had she been finally drained out of all the forgiveness she could muster for him? He had starved her, by taking all her love, and had left her without hope or glory... He took his answer from the remnants of the tea leaves and decided his next course of action: he would continue journeying far and wide, giving his loved ones one last gift from him before he departs from this world. It was all he could give them now, for he had already tarnished what was so great about them. Sasuke abruptly stood up from his seat and left the inn. His feet took him to the middle of the street, and he allowed the heavens to open up to him where they conversed and told each other their secrets, so much so that both human and clouds wept at the other's stories. 

Sasuke's feet trudged along the murky waters, guiding him towards a path that he no longer knew. Once again, he felt lost, his spirit was free but it wasn't the kind of liberating freedom one would expect from not being tied down to a family, nor the expectations one would have of how it felt to roam freely around the earth. No. What he felt was the freedom from every one and everything, to the point where he ultimately felt chained to his own loneliness and despair, and free from everything he once held dear. The only thing that guided him along was his resolve in keeping the world afloat. 

Sasuke found footing on a tree and kept going at a steady pace, as he was expecting a letter from the Hokage, and if he was lucky, possibly from his wife. He passed streams and meadows, but none of them could heal his heart like they once could. The soothing whispers of the billowing breeze had no effect on him either, and so he carried on with his duty: hunting down men and searching for ruins that would lead him towards the Otsutsuki's. It was as he was considering his priorities that he sensed a presence in the woods that sent a jolt of chakra instantly towards his fingertips. His _chidori_ was now a reflex, an extension of himself. He aimed the lightning blade towards the moving presence, but stopped abruptly when it revealed itself to him. 

"Oi, Sasuke! Don't aim that size of a _chidori_ at me, dattebayo!" the Hokage scolded him, his hands raised over his head in protest. 

"Naruto. Why are you here?" Sasuke asked, frowning at the fool. 

"I'm a shadow clone, the real me is still at the office, so Konoha is sa-"

"I know," Sasuke interrupted impatiently. "I mean, why are _you_ here and not a messenger bird?" 

The shadow clone rubbed the back of his head and laughed nervously. "Well, you see... There's been reports that our messenger birds have been coming back harmed, and so we've realised that any messages leaving the village may be being targeted and are being intercepted. So I've requested that no messages to be sent from Konoha for the past few months, and instead we've had to deploy more shinobi to handle simple messages. More work for our _genins_ I suppose, but as you can imagine it's caused some miscommunication with the other villages..."

Naruto continued to explain the situation in Konoha and their relations with the other great four villages whilst Sasuke considered what he had said. If no messages could be delivered and it was causing miscommunication, could that mean... ? No. Sasuke would not allow himself to cling onto false hope, it was not something he was deserving of. And so Sasuke just responded with, "Ah... I see." 

"Yeah," Naruto agreed. "So from now on, I'll have to deploy my shadow clones to contact you. So I'll get to see you more of you now, hehe," Naruto informed him eagerly.

Sasuke sighed. Just because he thought fondly of his best friend didn't necessarily mean he wanted to spend time with him. "Fine," Sasuke replied. "But if you bother me I won't hesitate in piercing your clones."

"OI! I'll _rasengan_ your ass if you try any funny business!" Naruto retorted back. They both held a glare with each other before Naruto started barking out laughter and a smile broke out on Sasuke's face. Their bickering was reminiscent of older times, when they were both still young, broken boys. 

The light atmosphere was cut short by Sasuke. "Tell me what I need to know," he ordered of the Hokage. The Seventh Hokage was as bad as the Medical Director in sticking to only the facts when she was talking to her beloved Sasuke-kun; the memory almost made him smirk. Naruto finished informing Sasuke of changes to Konoha's political and military situation, as well as exchanging what little intel they had about the Otsutskuki case. 

"That's it, dattebayo!" Naruto grinned with a thumbs up. Naruto then placed his bandaged hand on his hip and said, "You should really try to come nearer to the village. It took me ages to find you, even with my Sage Mode!"

"You know better than anyone that I don't have the luxury of journeying where I please," Sasuke spoke back. "Besides, there's no need for me to be near Konoha. Not when you're there." Before Naruto could argue further, Sasuke flashed away, leaving Naruto surrounded with dust where his emotionally constipated friend once stood. 

***

Another month had passed, and whilst Sasuke was in the heat of battle, he had realised that he had finally managed to regain his emotionless composure whilst on a mission. As he inflamed his opponent in a series of black flames that consumed his screams he reflected on how the fact that he had been on a series of different missions without much of a break for the past two and a half years, causing his heart to revert back to hardening like stone. Sasuke had barely any mercy left for those who did not surrender at his feet, and so he felt no remorse when he would have to report back to any nearby Kage of how many corpses were ready for burial by his hand. But those were only on the darkest days. On most days, when Sasuke could feel the daylight breathing into him, if his victims would not relent, then Sasuke would take his time in casting a _genjutsu_ , showing them what the different possibilities of their life could harbour, depending on their answer to him; they could continue manifesting their deepest darkest desires and be consumed by hatred, or they could save themselves and their loved ones, and turn over a new leaf, and feel the sunlight of a new day wash over them as each new day brought to them a new chance at life. Most often than not, they'd choose the latter, and Sasuke would leave the rest up to their respected former villages to handle. 

It was a morning in March when Sasuke found himself in the Land of Iron after spending a week roaming one of Kaguya's dimensions searching for clues, when he heard some muttering behind him. 

"...Well, I'll be off," spoke a familiar mutt, before vanishing with a poof. 

Sasuke turned around to find his former Sensei standing behind, arms folded. 

"Ai, ai. You sure don't make it easy to track you, do you, Sasuke?" spoke the silver haired man, his eyes drooping as if he wished he could be anywhere else. 

"Kakashi. I heard you retired," Sasuke greeted the Sixth Hokage. 

"Tell that to the Seventh. He's such a pest even as Hokage. I thought by now he'd stop coming to me for advice at least," moaned Kakashi. "I should really be at a hot spring by now reading Icha Icha Paradise, but sometimes life just doesn't love you back. Such a shame." Kakashi sighed and stepped forward handing out a scroll to Sasuke. 

Sasuke unsealed the scroll and cast a glance at the contents before looking back at his former Sensei. "If it's such a bother, why are you here?" he asked. 

"A good question! You see, our beloved Seventh Hokage needs to use every brain cell of his as Hokage that it tires him out to the point that he can't always use his shadow clones. So... he sent me," Kakashi explained with an exasperated sigh at the end. 

"Figures. He was always such a dunce," Sasuke added. Sasuke pocketed the scroll and turned around. "Well, if that's it, I'll be on my way." 

"Eh, Sasuke," Kakashi called before Sasuke could get away. Sasuke tilted his head slightly so he was giving Kakashi his attention. "Next time you send a letter, add co-ordinates or at least mention where you'll be. Although I don't plan on running any more errands for Naruto, Pakkun isn't as young as he used to be. Anyway, I'm out. I'll be at the hot springs." Kakashi shared a 'peace' sign with two fingers before also vanishing with a poof. 

The contents of the scroll had determined Sasuke's next location, and so he sought out the one who had helped bring a flicker to life in the dark void that was his existence. It was another six hours before Sasuke had tracked down the redhead. 

He flung the scroll Kakashi had given to him at Karin which she caught with ease. "You know you can't just barge in here like you own the place!" she scolded before huffing and examining the scroll. "This is- this is amazing!" 

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and eyed the Uzumaki carefully. She stole herself away from her amazement and looked back up at Sasuke and readjusted her glasses, before clearing her throat and announcing, "Konoha is lucky to have your wife as their medical director. She's a real genius." Karin sauntered off to another room, gathering different herbs all the whilst muttering, "The fact that she's been continuing this research on that damned virus for over seven years, and has produced results into different cures for the different symptoms related to the virus... I can see why you chose her, Sasuke."

Sasuke stared at Karin as she busied herself with making the different antidotes that Sakura had noted down. "What... do you know about the virus? Did Sakura mention anything about... Sarada?" he asked hesitantly, not wanting to give away too much about his personal dilemma. 

"Why would she mention anything about Sarada? Has something happened to her?" When Sasuke only disclosed silence, she huffed and stated, "Sas-uke. If you really need to wait until I'm done can you at least make yourself useful?! Get scrolls ready for each of the other four villages. Sakura did say she wanted to strengthen the alliance through her medical expertise, didn't she? So be an obedient husband!" 

"Tsk." Despite his annoyance, he did as she bid. Soon enough, there were four scrolls for Sasuke to deliver to each of the other villages in case a similar disease erupted in any of the other villages. This task set out by Sakura, despite all his insecurities, he felt something ignite in him. He still felt connected to her. As he set off towards Iwagakure, it fell on him that no matter the distance, physically or emotionally, nothing could sever the bond they had with one another. Although it felt as if he was constantly turning his back on them and walking away from the only place and people he knew as home, he knew that what he had left behind was the same place his mind could rest in ease, and his heart would slow to a steady rhythm. The knowledge that she was still making a name of herself far and wide without travelling also warmed him, and engulfed him with pride. Even if he wanted to escape her, he knew he could not. For the mere utterance of her name was enough for him to ponder on his existence and remind him that he still belonged to her, whether or not she still felt the same. And for that reason, until she reached out to him to tell him that they were no longer an item, that their connection had withered away and become lost, he would still refer to her as his wife.

It was in Suna three days later, where once again he was driven out of his gloom by the ghost of her presence. He was in the Kazegake's office, standing within the solid walls of sand that encased him and his once-foe. 

"My wife has requested your medics replicate these antidotes, in the name of the Hokage," Sasuke informed Gaara. Gaara studied the contents of the scrolls, taking in the formulas as his hands were clasped together over his desk. "I see... I am grateful to our alliance with Konoha," Gaara thanked Sasuke, looking back up at him. Just as Sasuke was heading for the door, he was stopped in his tracks by a question. 

"Won't you stay and have a drink?" the Kazekage asked. "You missed the celebratory drinks me and Naruto shared the day after the summit."

"I'm not much of a drinker," Sasuke replied, his back still turned to Gaara as he declined his offer. 

"Nor am I," Gaara confessed. "How about some tea? Suna is known to have unrivalled herbal tea."

Sasuke turned around and obliged the Kazekage's request, curious as to what the Kazekage would want. "I envy you, Uchiha Sasuke," Gaara admitted. "You have a deep history with some of the people I admire the most."

Sasuke raised a brow at this as he drank his jasmine tea. It was truly better than what he had tasted at the different inns he had frequented whilst on his journey. "You mean Naruto?"

"With no doubt," Gaara confirmed. "Naruto was my first true friend. And now seeing him as Hokage, while I, Kazekage, is a testament to the words he taught me so long ago... But it is not Naruto I only admire. Your wife, Uchiha Sakura. She reminded me what love is."

Sasuke placed his tea cup on the desk and asked, with a hard glare, "What does that mean?"

"Nothing of the sort of what you are thinking of. Rather, the knowledge that you two are family now brings me back to when she risked her life against me to save you. And now she continues to save other lives, far and wide, having little to no knowledge of the impact she has over the world. You are a truly lucky man to have such great bonds with the both of them."

Sasuke's silence filled the room, but it was a pleasant sort of silence. The kind of silence you hear when you feel the serenity surrounding you as you come across a beautiful lake, where the sun reflects off each of the ripples in the water. Not long after, Sasuke left the Kazekage to his duties and he continued onto the next village, whilst his hawk also contributed in dispatching the medicinal scrolls. 

*** 

It was several months later when he was journeying through towns trying to learn what he could of the ancient Land of That and Land of Ancestors. Naturally, studying about the Land of That had caused Sasuke to travel to where the Land used to reside between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rivers. It was whilst he was on the border of the Land of Rivers that he heard that there had been a series of events leading up to a lot of commotion in Konoha. Sasuke had not bothered with the information he was receiving at first, trusting the Hokage to deal with the incidents. But what piqued his interest was the mention of two words from Anbu members that caused the hairs on his back to prickle. Names that he had not heard of in a long time: Danzo and Root.

The remembrance of one of the elders of Konoha stirred mixed feelings within Sasuke. He was reminded of his lust for vengeance for his older brother and how he had wanted all of Konoha to pay, no matter who they were to him. He had believed in magnifying madness that all of those who resided in the village were responsible for his clan's demise, and as a result that they should pay. The memory troubled him. After being brought out from the darkness by his golden friend, he had put his past behind him and allowed the other two elders, as well as the rest of the village, to live on without his hatred looming over them. But still, at times like this his past still haunted him and he found it within himself hard to see past his own flaws. He closed his eyes, trying to find something within himself to keep going... and it was then he remembered. 

The forgotten memory unfolded before him: him and Sakura walking side by side as they came to the village gates to say farewell to one another, before his first journey of redemption. He remembered her words to him from so long ago... 

_"Itachi was a great man. And I know he would be proud of you. I know I am."_

His eyes flashed open and his resolve was once again ignited. He would find out what he could about what was going on in Konoha, and if he was indeed needed, he would intervene. 

With the upturned roots, the leaves could bud anew and Sasuke found that the situation in Konoha had resolved itself with the help of Sai, one of the former Root members. Sasuke didn't bother in finding out any more details once he had heard that all was safe, although he had found out that the series of events were connected to the Academy... which if Sasuke had calculated correctly, Sarada was enrolled in now. Sasuke shrugged off any concerns about her well-being knowing full well that if anything serious had happened concerning her then Naruto would find a way of contacting him. With the information that he had gathered about Root from the most recent events, he contacted the Seventh Hokage, intrigued in wanting to know more about the _jutsu_ formulas used. What he had heard about Konoha were eerily similar to what he had found out about Kaguya when searching for the ruins of the Land of Ancestors. 

Seated on a tree that had found life above the carnal desires of dead branches of the divine tree, Sasuke sent off a request to Naruto to bring him the _jutsu_ formulas used by Root. He could not stay for long and so ordered Naruto to meet him within the hour, complying with Kakashi's wishes, Sasuke set the coordinates for where Naruto could find him. Sasuke looked beyond the vast expanse of the world as his gaze lingered on numerous trees that had grown beyond their control. Life had made its home wherever it found it. And maybe someday, Sasuke could too. Maybe one day, where no matter he ventured, his heart would find peace and he would not feel loss nor despair as he wondered if his lover still thought about him under a blanket of stars. Did she still love, he wondered. Was he ever deserving of her love? His insecurities had once again crept up on him in the darkness and had made a home in his heart where it lurked and consumed him when he least expected it. 

It was nightfall when he eventually heard the familiar grunts and pants that belonged to Naruto Uzumaki. 

"Sasuke!" 

His impassive face looked back to tell the Hokage, "You're late."

The bluntness of his words triggered the blonde as his eyes went wide in irritation and he defended himself with his hands spread up to the sky before him in exasperation, "You know... I may be a clone, but it took me a while to get here. I don't even know the way home now, damn it." Naruto looked around their surroundings in frustration and asked, "Where are we anyway?!"

Sasuke answered back smoothly, "Don't ask me. So, where's the scroll?" 

Naruto seemed displeased at the abrupt change of topic as he seethed between gritted teeth. Naruto fumbled in his trouser pocket before drawing out a scroll. "Tsk. Sasuke, you're the same as ever, you know that? You _know_ that Sarada's friendship circle was involved with the latest scandals, and yet you don't even ask about her! I bet she missed you, you know!"

"Just hand it over," Sasuke demanded. Naruto rolled his eyes and mumbled vulgar terms concerning the male Uchiha before handing the scroll over to him. Sasuke unrolled the scroll to analyse the _jutsu_ formula. He noticed the picture that was etched onto the scroll: a diamond shape, patterned with other alluring designs which bared an eye in the centre. No doubt that was the central markings of how a beast had appeared in Konoha. 

Sasuke studied it closely and brought it closer to himself to inspect. "It's hard to believe that Danzo got this close to Kaguya's Hidden _jutsu_..." he reflected. 

He heard Naruto beside him ask sheepishly, "Is that what that is?" He hadn't changed. Naruto too was seated on the tree beside Sasuke as he admitted, "I didn't get it at all."

Sasuke stood up and looked out into the night sky. He assessed, "But with this, I may be able to get closer to the Time-Space where Kaguya existed."

Naruto reacted in surprise as he questioned his intentions. "Hey, you're leaving already? What's wrong with coming back to the village for a while?"

This time, Sasuke chose not to ignore his pleas. He turned to Naruto and asked for a favour. "Naruto..." Naruto looked at him, turning his head more towards his own as he urged him to continue. With Naruto as the mediator... He could _feel_ the closeness to Sakura. And yet, she was still so far away from him. If he was able to relay this one message, would anything change? Would she find a way to contact him? He had told himself he would give her time and space, but enough time had passed, and so he asked his friend to help him with his tarnished reputation as a husband and father. Sasuke turned away from Naruto, and once again looked out to the night sky, wondering if he told the stars, would they flicker his feelings to her? Would she feel his longingness? Would she know he still needed her now, as he did back then? Were they still together, despite being far apart? 

"Give Sakura a message for me." He could almost feel the weight of his guilt radiate off of him and surge down towards Naruto, who also reflected guilt for his best friends' tainted marriage. "Tell her, I'm sorry for everything." 

Before he could gauge Naruto's reaction, Sasuke left Naruto to ponder on Sasuke's deeper feelings, and Sasuke escaped the night, and decided he would face his sorrows on the morrow. But for now, he took himself to another dimension. A dimension that was barren and longed for life to breed; a dimension where there was only sand to quell any thirst or hunger; a dimension that told the a piece of the story of Sakura and Sasuke. 

He looked up at the moon of a different sky, and walked the endless sand following a path lit by the illuminated moon until he came upon a lake in which he had never come across before the other million times he had come here to salvage the memories of his wife. The severe sadness of his heart was whisked away by a different night, and maybe tonight he could rest in peace, hoping he would not hear her cries in his nightmares under a different sky. Alas, he could still see her milky complexion in the moon, even when his eyes were averted from the blanket above him. The moon faintly wavered on the nearby lake, and he pleaded with its reflection to show his unknown future... Would he still have a family to come back to at the end of every nightfall? Or were his chances of embracing his wife and daughter lost forever in the wilderness?

He didn't know. 

But if he never managed to see her again in this life, then in the next he would be by her side to wipe away all her tears, he vowed.

As the same questions spurred around his mind, he wondered if Sakura could hear the beating of his heart from a different plain. His heart sang: 

_Farewell..._

_...for now._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I DO want Sasuke to be happy, but I also enjoy him breaking into a million pieces... maybe that's because I hated his character for 10+ years before I became a fan of post-redemption Sasuke. This is me enacting my vengeance on him. 
> 
> What did you think of this chapter? I'd love to know. 


	23. Scarlet Spring

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I referred to both the anime and manga for this chapter, but stayed mostly in line with the anime. 

The world was alight with a heavenly glow that graced the earth with pink and purple hues that covered even the most barren lands with a hope for life. Every inch of darkness that haunted the corners of the earth seeped away when it felt the faintest of light, and as the sole male Uchiha fell back onto the earth, he looked at the rising sun with a new found yearning to reach out to his wife. Sasuke reached into his satchel and looked at the device that had been given to him from the Hokage roughly three years ago after the summit: 

_Naruto and Sasuke had been sorting Sasuke's scrolls full of intel about Kaguya into chronological order, and then sorting them out by location when Naruto turned to Sasuke and beckoned him over to a filing cabinet in the corner of the sealing room in the Hokage tower._

_Sasuke followed Naruto and eyed the box suspiciously in Naruto's bandaged hand. Naruto smiled and handed it to Sasuke. "It's a parting gift," he offered._

_Sasuke opened the box to find some sort of technical device. He took it out of the box and inspected it. "What is it?" he asked, unfamiliar with some of the modern advances in the progressive state of the world._

_"It's uh... my scientists call it a mobile, or something. Only the top shinobis and Kage have them at this present time, so it is easier to communicate and send messages. It's an alternative to sending messages by summonings or messenger birds. The messages are sent instantly. I'm not really sure how though..." Naruto confessed as he scratched his cheek, trying to hide his embarrassment for not being completely familiar with the technical device. "The only downside is that the battery runs out quite quickly, and you can only charge them at the labs in the Five Great Villages, hehe... Might be an inconvenience for you. But use it sometime, if you want. I've made sure it has all us Kage's contacts on."_

_"Hn. Thanks."_

Sasuke looked queerly at the mobile device in his palm, and had a sudden wish that he could contact Sakura with it. As he had been travelling throughout the past three years, he had found more and more shinobi have these peculiar devices at hand, which indicated to Sasuke that there were other ways of charging the portable devices, but ways he was unaware of. And so he shrugged off the thought and instead used it for the first time in three years to contact Naruto of where he would next be heading. As soon as he pressed the 'send' button, however, the device went blank. Sasuke shook it, and attempted to turn it off and then on as he had seen other shinobi do at inns, but to no avail. He could only assume that the mobile had run out of juice, and Sasuke did not know when next he would encounter another Great Village. Throughout his travels, Sasuke had become more accustomed to the latest inventions of science, from the new methods of travels to Kages using more advances laptops. Sasuke thought they made the life of a shinobi more bearable, although he was still used to his own methods of travel and doing things, such as sending messages through summonings. 

Sasuke continued on his way towards the Land of Waterfall, where he had heard rumours of the chiefs keeping artefacts that dated thousands years back to a time where a mystical goddess had infiltrated the lands and had borne two sons... The fable sounded too close to Kaguya, and it was there he was next headed. As he travelled, the rain pattered onto his face, leaving light kisses that trailed down and dripped off his chiselled jaw, mixed with his sweat. From afar, you may have mistaken these wet trails for tears. 

Upon arriving at the Land of Waterfall, Sasuke found that he would have to win over the chief if he wanted any chance at him disclosing their town's secrets and ancient histories. Sasuke was not known to be a social person; during his travels, the only beings he would be willing to communicate with was his snake summoning, Aoda, and his chance meetings with Naruto. 

"You should know, I don't just let anybody walk into this town and take what they want. I don't care if they are a legendary hero! Yeah, that's right. I know exactly who you are, Uchiha. I'd recognise that stony face anywhere. Just because you hide that purple eye of yours, doesn't mean we've forgotten about your escapades during the Great War. Ha! Yeah, that's right, rumours and stories far and wide travel down even to this wee town, just like the ancient times!" the pot-bellied chief guffawed at Sasuke's expense. "We may have forgiven, but we don't forget. Now you run along and tell that Hokage of yours that you no doubt have a bromance with to come and give 'Waterfalls their best _chunin_ to handle our village's problems for a whole three months, and I'll think about entertaining you on those rumours." The chief winked at Sasuke before leaving Sasuke staring back down at his glass of water. 

He had contemplated using his _genjutsu_ on the man like his usual method, but he was trying to rest his eyes as he had just recently come back from another dimension. Sasuke had been trying his best to ensure his chakra control is as smooth as how Sakura lectured him, but it was easier said than done. It was another thing that awed him about his wife - how did she have such perfect chakra control? Even when they were mere _genin,_ she had already surpassed him in that field. 

Sasuke thought about resting in the town for a few more nights whilst trying to gauge information from other civilians, but then decided his time may be spent better elsewhere, tracking down any other traces in Kaguya's dimension using the information he had gathered from Naruto. Unceremoniously, Sasuke left the small town and it was whilst he was journeying through a path lit by the summer green trees that reminded him of blissful summers spent years ago with his two lights that he decided to test out using his _mangekyo sharingan_ and _rinnengan_ simultaneously with a smooth stream of chakra flow to see if this Land was connected to any different dimensions that he had not been able to penetrate previously. To his dismay, his theory was not well founded, and he found that he had wasted an excessive amount of chakra flitting through dimensions. Concluding that he wouldn't be able to use _genjutsu_ at this state on the townspeople, Sasuke flitted back to a path residing just outside of the Land of Waterfall. His _mangekyo sharingan_ spiralled back to three _tomoes_ as he drew out ragged breaths to help stabilise his body. 

It was as he was taking in the comforting trees around him that reminded him of home that he heard a rustle in the trees behind him. Sasuke stopped for a second, wondering if he was imagining things as he scanned the surrounding area with his _sharingan_ , and so continued on with an onyx eye taking in the daylight as he let out an exasperated sigh. But soon after, the hooded figure which had been pursuing him appeared before him. With a few strokes of his _katana,_ and a lightning charged strike on the foe's chained weapon, the foe that was cloaked was revealed, and lying before him, was a sickly-white boy with white hair and white clothing. But what stole Sasuke's breath away and halted his heartbeat was the clan crest resting on the boy's back: it was the crest of the Uchiha. 

Sasuke held his _katana_ pointed downwards as he paced himself cautiously towards the child, his red eye activated. As he neared closer, the child turned slowly to face him, and his face haunted the male Uchiha. Looking straight back at him were eyes that bled red: the _sharingan_. 

"You... Who are you?"

The child stood before him with a smug look before using two fingers to disappear. The leaves that danced in the haze left in the boy's wake sauntered to the ground, and a bead of sweat traced Sasuke's face. His heart thudded and he felt paralyzed at this revelation. The only people that should wield the _sharingan_ at this present moment were himself and his inexperienced daughter. A blur of her face flashed through his mind as he remembered her sweet, angelic face - she had been as young as three last time he had seen her, and she had been the source of his pride and joy. Surely his enemies had not gotten their hands on his daughter, he had been _sure_ to make sure that any threats pertaining her were extinguished. And if something had escaped him, and something had happened to his precious daughter, he was convinced that Sakura and Naruto would have no doubt contacted him, putting aside any existing tensions between them. Sasuke pushed away any thoughts of his daughter having been harmed and concluded that she was safe in the village. He had a few other theories that came to mind, and so he tasked himself with writing his encounter with the suspicious child to Naruto, pinpointing the coordinates of where he would be lying in wait for the Hokage: the Shikoro Pass.

Sasuke had found the tower of Shikoro Pass on the way to the Land of Waterfall. It was an abandoned tower in a rural setting, perfect for clandestine meetings and secret rendezvous. On the way to the tower he had attempted in finding any traces of the _sharingan_ boy that would lead a trail right up to him, but with no luck, Sasuke continued until he came upon the tower that loomed over the weedless realm. Sasuke had surmised that with Naruto's use of Sage Mode, it would make it infinitely easier to track down where the boy had fled to.

Sasuke found a dark corner within the tower, and awaited the Hokage's arrival, all the while brooding over his past, present and future. His past was stained with trauma and sins designed by himself where his dark ink followed the strokes of the brushes of those who had manipulated him in his dark, unsuspecting life: Itachi, Orochimaru, Tobi... A sprinkle of golden light had filtered the dark portrait he had created for himself, and soon he had been able to speak a language of colours he never knew had existed, or rather, he had sooner turned away from at a young age. The brightest colours which attracted his eyes had been a flash of gold, orange, red, pink and greens. There was so much light in his life which he had pushed away countless amount of times... The memory of his daughter flickered through his mind as he recalled the events which he had recorded over the years with his _sharingan_ : 

_A couple of months old Sarada gurgling towards Sakura and Sasuke as she took her first step._

_Sarada saying her first word: "Papa"._

_A three year old Sarada drawing pictures of herself and her mother as she jokes to her mother - her father is perched on a tree as he spies down on them, biding his time for when he can resolve things with her mother._

_A year old Sarada stumbling on her stunt legs, and grabbing onto her Papa's cloak to hold her steady. Her Papa whisks her up high and plants a kiss on her forehead before she can start crying. She shines him a big grin instead._

_Sarada waking up from a frightening fever and tugging on her father's bangs as she insists she wants a pretty purple eye like him._

_A three year old Sarada tugging on Papa's left sleeve as he attempts to put her to sleep, but she manages to persuade him into telling her another story about either Uncle 'Tachi, a golden light, or a pink princess._

_Sarada telling her Mama that she loves Papa but sometimes spending time with Uncle Naruto and Uncle 'Kashi is more fun._

Sasuke took a deep breath and steadied his emotions. This was not the time to lose himself to his thoughts and feelings. Instead, Sasuke harboured all his deepest feelings and cast them aside. As he knew all too well, emotions got in the way of missions, and this was a mission that deserved his upmost attention. He adopted a more rational approach where he was trying to piece together his different theories of how this _sharingan_ boy had been conjured up. A name which had been swimming across his mind from recent events rose up to the surface: all things pointed towards Danzo, and that only meant that _he_ was involved. If the serpent was involved then it could mean different variations of beings could also exist: different heights, different sexes, different ages, and of different strength. 

It was light outside, but inside the dimly lit room, all Sasuke could see were his thoughts and his plans that he would communicate to Naruto. Sasuke had been spending the last fifteen years attempting to rid the tarnish off the Uchiha name - but with these beings existing, all his hard work in creating bonds and regaining trust all over the lands would come undone. The world would be once again set ablaze, and it would be an imminent disaster, one that was a closer threat than any Otsutsuki case. But what was worse, his family would be in danger. And then Sasuke would be at a loss. He had lost everything once, and he would not allow that to happen again. Sasuke concealed his chakra, only allowing a slither to emanate from him for Naruto's sake. He was cloaked in darkness as he awaited the embodiment of golden light to reach him. 

It was four hours later when he heard the creak of the two front gates. A presence had entered the tower, however it was not the warmth chakra of Naruto's that he was so familiar with. This chakra felt young and fresh, like a new blade which had just been carved. Like it had just been moulded. The chakra also had a sense of familiarity to it, which only heightened Sasuke's suspicions that Danzo had extracted the Uchiha clans' cells and eyes and transplanted it to Orochimaru's experiments. 

It was a child. 

A female. 

And she bore the proud Uchiha crest on her back. 

He watched the child pant as she faced the pillar that stood erected opposite him. Sasuke stood up from the dark corner at which he was residing, and made his presence known to the intruder. She proceeded to face him and he noticed that she did not have sickly white skin. Nor did she have strange slick white hair. No. She had black hair, like his own, except not exactly as straight. She was likely one of the more favourable experiments. She wore the Uchiha eyes. Eyes that this _thing_ had no right to behold. Eyes that only belonged to those of his blood.

A word escaped the fake Uchiha's mouth but Sasuke had no interest in what the imposter had to say.

"I'm impressed that you found me," he informed the child. _How did you find me_?

"Are you one of them?" he asked as he approached her, already sure of the fact that child was indeed, 'one of them'. He drew his _katana_ and decided he would show this child what it means to be a real Uchiha. Before her death, this _creature_ would learn the true value of the _sharingan_. 

He noticed the tears that had brimmed below the red irises, and decided he would not kill the child just yet. He would have some mercy, and perhaps intimidate her enough so she spills where to find the rest of her kind. He sheathed his blade into the pillar beside her, and watched as it formed cracks and crevices all around, just like the ones in his own heart. 

His hand reached out to her face, meaning to take off those red glasses and inspect her eyes further when a single word escaped her lips, halting his every movement. He felt his pulse come to a stop. Time froze. The world had stopped spinning altogether.

"PAPA!" the child had screamed, tears spilling down her cheeks.

His eyes widened and he noticed the little things about her in that instant with his deplorable _sharingan:_ the red glasses. The red dress. The hair as black as a raven. And the fear. She was quaking. Her hands plastered to the pillar behind her as her back tried to press further into it, further away from him as he had been deceived by his own assumptions. 

"You're... Sarada?" the realisation came to him. As her name left his lips, the intensity of what he might have done if she had not screamed out to him clung onto him like a thunder cloud. She opened her eyes which had shut in anticipation of death and nodded up at him. His outstretched arm parted from her, and he looked down at her, concern written all over his face. He turned his face away, ashamed at his own actions, and said, "I see..." It was clear to him that she was not the enemy. She was his starlight. She was a bright burning ball of gas but that gas was fading away before him. 

Sorrows streaked down her angelic face as she told him the truth of their situation. "I knew right away... that you were my dad". He could not face her like this, and so his eyes were still closed as he listened to her. 

He opened his eyes again to draw away his sword, to see that she had one fist curled up near her chest. A defensive stance he had seen her mother do too many times when she was distressed... because of him. The door creaked open, and sunlight blasted in, and he turned to face it. But it wasn't the soothing, warm sunlight he was so used to. Rather, staring at him right in the face was the cold, harsh reality of the truth of his circumstance: his daughter was a stranger to him. 

The emblem of light he was once fond of seeing made its excuses as it neared him. Sasuke began scolding the blonde fool, until he was interrupted by the additional child who planted his sole hand atop her head. 

"This feels right, but maybe the touch was a bit firmer?" the chubby girl asked, who Sasuke could only discern was of the Akimichi clan... and so she must be...

"What's going on?" Sasuke asked, not really intrigued by who the girl was to his daughter. 

He turned his head to the voice of a distraught child who had clenched her fists in anger, desperation... hurt. Her whole being shook as she unfurled her emotions out to him, "I came...I came to see you Papa!"

Sasuke's lips parted in surprise. He continued to watch his _child_ look defeated as she confessed, "I found out Lord Seventh was meeting up with you, so I followed him. There's something I really want to ask you."

"Something you want to ask me?" Sasuke questioned, wondering why she would have ventured so far out of the village to seek him out just to _ask_ him something. 

"Yes," she confirmed. "Um... Well..." Sarada's gaze lifted off of the ground and found his own, focusing on his face as she found the confidence to ask him for the answers to mend her muddled mind. "Is Mama... my real Mama?" she finally whispered. Eyes set firmly on his face for any slight reaction that may give away what was laying underneath his stoic exterior. 

Sasuke stared at her in disbelief. What was she saying? He was sure that no matter what happened between the two of them, Sakura's bond with Sarada would stay strong and only strengthen throughout the years that they only had each other. No matter what avenues his mind searched, he could not conjure up what may had lead her to come to the conclusion that Sakura was not her real mother. 

"Please answer me!" she pleaded in fierce desperation. "Is she my real Mama?"

"What happened?" he asked coolly, as if they were talking about the weather. 

Sarada gasped, before her face contorted into only pure rage. " _What happened?!"_ she echoed. "You're never around! Why won't you stay and live with Mama? Do you even care that you've forgotten your daughter's face?!" 

Sasuke studied his daughter and only felt pained sadness. She was just like her Mama in so many ways; there was no doubt that Sakura was her real mother. How could she not see that? And just like her mother, he was the cause of her pain. He was a failure of a father. 

As if to challenge Sasuke's thoughts about her lineage, Sarada brought out a picture. Sasuke recognised the old Team Taka photo which had been partly hidden behind the family photos. He recalled that Karin had gifted it to Sakura during one of their missions so long ago... a mission that would eventually unfold into a series of events leading up to Sasuke concluding that his inconsistent absences affected Sarada deeply, and it was for the best if he was not in her life at all. It was only recently where he had started to forgive himself for causing one of those heartbreaking events, where he was ready to enter her life again. But... life is not always a linear path that follows one straight stream. There are plenty of ripples along the way, and these ripples can have astounding effects, causing people to make painstaking choices. 

Sarada had said something about Karin and her wearing the same glasses, and she ended her onslaught onto him with " _Do you think this is something a daughter can ask her mother_?!"

Naruto and the Akimichi child were not helping diffusing the situation with their commentary.

"Mama doesn't say anything and you're never around," his daughter continued. "I can't trust either one of you... THIS WHOLE THING IS A MESS!" Sarada took a pause and grasped for air, her shoulder slouching as she did so. She was right about one thing: it was a mess. But he had never intended it to feel like that for her. Rather, he had hoped she could only have the best chances at life and a lifetime full of happiness and peace. He thought he had made the right choices in giving her that. 

Concern over Sarada's mental well-being filled Sasuke's mind, and cast out any insecurities he had about his and his wife's marriage. They had tried to do whatever they could for her, but it turns out they had let her down, with Sasuke being the main culprit. He had thought Sakura's love would be enough for Sarada. He had thought she could give their daughter everything, where he could give nothing good. He had thought...

"Where have you been and what exactly have you been doing all this time, Papa?!" Sarada had come back for another round, and it was clear she was unsatisfied with his silences. 

Sasuke briefly thought about his answer, and decided that it would be best to tell her nought. "It has nothing... to do with you," he answered. 

Maybe once upon a time it had, but not now. Not since Naruto had become Hokage. Not since there was a father-figure looking out for the whole village. Now, his absence was solely to do with his mission. A mission where emotions and feelings had no space to be present, or lest his better judgement becomes clouded with guilt and remorse and his goal becomes blurred. 

Sarada inhaled sharply, her eyes became full moons as she stared into her father's obsidian eyes. She took one last look at her father before she contained her unspilled tears with her lids and long dark lashes. "JUST FORGET IT!" she shouted out, before running out of the darkness where only secrets harboured, and into the light, searching for answers. 

Sasuke watched impassively as Naruto called after her with a "HEY!", and then as the Akimichi girl scolded him before running off after Sarada. 

"Don't you think you should tell Sarada at least? About why you won't return to the village," came the voice of reason. Sasuke looked up at Naruto and considered his words. Sasuke following trails leading up to the Otsutsuki's was classified information. If news were to spread it would only cause disarray and further unrest. What's worse: his daughter would constantly be in a state of anxiety fearing for her father's life. It was this type of suffering he had been attempting to alleviate from her. He did not want to burden her with worries. He knew that he had burdened his lover countless times over his lifespan, and he did not want his daughter to have to inherit that from her mother. 

But he did not say that, instead he said, "She has Sakura. There's nothing to worry about." 

"Yes, but a child also needs their father," Naruto challenged. 

After a brief period of silence, Sasuke replied with finality: "Sakura is enough." _She always has been for me._ "That's all she needs." Naruto took one last look at Sasuke, concern etched across his face, before he decided, "I'll check up on the kids."

Once Naruto had left, Sasuke padded his way towards the slit in the wall where he had anchored his _katana_ and he allowed his hand to slide down over the crack he had created. It was only a slight parting in the wall, but that slight parting... if he had decided otherwise... The crack where, if he had been in a less merciful mood, would have been the crack that would have split his daughter's heart open. His right hand almost destroyed one of the only good things left in his life. He had almost cast out the light and enveloped himself in darkness once again. 

He remembered her blood red eyes which she had inherited from himself and how they had been full of such _fear_. He remembered her whimpers as she cowered away from him as he reached out to who he had mistaken for the enemy. And he remembered how he broke her. Like how he had broken her mother. 

Sasuke turned away from the cruel evidence of his sins to find the Akimichi child standing before him. One second he was listening to the child suggest a way to make amends with his daughter, and the next he felt the presence of a dark chakra which activated his _sharingan_. Sasuke flashed himself outside to find himself in combat with two wielders of the _sharingan._ The pride of his Uchiha clan was at stake. But most importantly, his daughter's life. Currently she was beneath the safety of the Nine Tail's chakra cloak, and Sasuke would put his life on the line to ensure she stays within the confinements of security. 

Of one of the foes who held a bald head full of _sharingans_ , he called himself "Shin Uchiha", and spoke of reviving the Akatsuki. The sickly white child was his partner, and judging from Sarada's shock, the child had introduced himself to her with the same name. 

Parent and child. 

The act of the father using the child as his own defences disgusted Sasuke. 

"Naruto, take care of Sarada," Sasuke requested of his comrade, before he resumed battle. But before he had even reached the sick father, Naruto's impenetrable chakra cloak had been penetrated by none other Sasuke's own _katana_. It had been marked by the adult Shin's sword: his ocular ability. 

It was clear who his next victim would be, and so without hesitation, Sasuke put his life on the line for his own child. He would not lose her. He could not. The blades had dug deep into his flesh, and his movements were inhibited. He could not do much in his current state, and nor could Naruto at the looks of things. His daughter, on the other hand, whilst being physically safe, she was trembling with fear and learning first-hand what exactly Sasuke was occupied with whilst on his life-long mission. He was protecting her. Near or far, he would protect her. That was his form of love, whether she understood it or not. 

However, when the adult Shin Uchiha exclaimed that he would be taking his _sharingan_ , Sasuke was slow to react. But just as fast as Shin said, he was quickly thrust aside like a heap of boulders falling off a cliff. With a ferocious punch and a roar of a "SHANNARO!" he was thrust into a ground causing a cloud of dust to form around the pink matriarch. 

Sasuke's jaw flew open at the sight of her. She was as fierce as ever. And even more strikingly beautiful. He felt an enamoured to be graced by her presence once again after all this time. A surge of love filled him, but twisted in his stomach as his insecurities attempted to flood through and wash away the connection that he and his wife shared, 

Sasuke watched as Sakura curled up a fist and demanded to the wretched body lying before her feet, "What do you think you're doing to my husband and beloved daughter?!" 

_Husband..._

To hear her call him such an endearing term flickered something inside of him, calling out his insecurities about their marriage and issues which had been hounding on him and creating a colossal weight upon his shoulders. But just like that, to hear her call him _husband_ almost eradicated any of those fears. Maybe they still had a chance. Maybe she still lov- 

His thoughts were halted by her next question. She turned her gaze towards her family and Naruto and demanded an answer. "So... who the hell are these guys?!" 

"We're about to figure it out," Sasuke answered back, tugging out a blade that was anchored deep inside of him. "What are you doing here, too?"

"I'm here too, you know..." added Naruto from the back. 

Sasuke watched like a hawk as Sakura neared them, and noticed how she had ignored his reply, and continued ignoring his presence as she looked fondly at Naruto with a hand on her hip. As she asked about Naruto's physical state with those calming, jade eyes, he couldn't help but get lost them even for a little bit as well as admire the flesh of her navel that was displayed by the parting of her dress. He desperately craved for the serenity of her gaze to fall upon him, but alas, it seemed that he was undeserving of her after all. 

As Naruto used Kurama's chakra to deal with Shin, however, he was eventually blessed with her ethereal presence as she turned to him with a smile. He could _feel_ her warmth radiating towards him, and he wanted nothing more than to fall into her arms. If she offered her embrace to him, he considered that he may even take the opportunity in the presence of others. But instead of her arms reaching out towards him, her feet had led her towards their bundle of love and her arms fell around her child, smothering her in Sakura's endless bounty of warmth. Sasuke turned his head to watch a mother soothe her daughter and express her gratitude that she was left unharmed. The sight bloomed more love than he thought possible for his small family, and he wondered if they could feel it too. He knew now that Sarada was yet unable to comprehend how thoughts and feelings could be connected, but he needed to know if Sakura could still feel him through the pulsing of her own heart. Had she been able to feel his stifled cries as she slept? Had she known how much he had missed her? And how much he was sorry for all he had done? Did she know he still craved for her love, for her touch? 

He heard her footsteps as she made her way to him, and braced himself for whatever she was about to say. He was ready to fall at her feet and apologise with all the sincerity he could muster, for all the damage he had done. This was all his fault, after all. Sarada wouldn't have left Sakura if it wasn't for Sasuke's lack of decision-making skills. He was prepared to hear her tell him how he was an idiot and how she hated him, but instead all he heard was the passing of the wind, the soft chime of bells as she softly spoke, "I'm sorry, I thought I made things clear to Sarada, but..."

He turned to her then, and corrected her. "No, it's my fault. You don't need to apologise. But I've..." He was about to confess: _But I've missed you, Sakura. But I've been aching ever since I last wrote to you. But I've been wondering if you still love me? But I've waiting for you to reach out to me - why didn't you?_ But he never did get to finish his sentence. 

Everything happened in a blur. 

Whilst Naruto was busy dealing with both the parent and child of Shin Uchiha, and the Uchiha family were preoccupied in dealing with the mixture of their emotions, only the Akimichi child had noticed that Sarada was in danger. 

A one-eyed aberrant stood close to Sarada's feet as it attempted to suck her into a transportation vortex, but Sakura was quick on her feet and freed Sarada from the foe's grasp. In turn, Sakura was pulled through, fighting the vacuum that was swallowing her whole as she desperately tried to reach for her daughter's fingers. 

Sasuke's heart hammered against his chest at the thought of his wife being sucked into oblivion, but her words from so long ago also hammered inside his mind and he knew why she had done it:

_"I would do anything for this child... even if it meant putting my life on the line. I would do ANYTHING."_

That had been when she was still heavily pregnant with their flicker of light. 

The beating of his heart soothed at another memory: 

_"I'm not a helpless woman, Sasuke. I can fight my own battles."_

And another. 

_"I'm not a helpless little girl. I can hold my own! You don't have to worry about me."_

Sakura would be okay, he knew. He had faith in her abilities, and even far apart, their thoughts were connected - a connected that had strengthened and rekindled once they had set their eyes upon each other again. There was no more time to dwell on his feelings, however. They needed to act. Now. 

Naruto's Sage Mode could not detect Sakura's whereabouts, and so Sasuke and Naruto shared their speculations, and it seemed they had reached the same conclusion: Orochimaru. As he was about to lead Naruto and the children out of Shikoro Pass, Sarada cried out to him, "Papa!" 

He turned to face her and asked, "What is it?" 

"How can you be so calm?" she interrogated. "Aren't you worried about Mama?"

Naruto tried to intervene and cut the tension with, "Hey, Sarada, Sasuke is..."

But she had to learn. Sasuke decided she need to learn the hard truth of reality. A lesson which Sakura had to reteach him not so long ago. It was because of personal feelings that mother and father had almost been too late in saving Sarada's eyes. 

"Personal feelings only get in the way of a mission. If you intend on becoming a shinobi, remember that," he taught her. 

The Akimichi child once again tried to make amends between father and daughter, however, Sasuke's main priority was tracking down Orochimaru so they could find navigate all trails that lead to Shin Uchiha. Naruto insisted on keeping the children with them as Sarada was also Shin's target, although Sasuke would have preferred the children to be escorted back to the village safely. 

The distance between Sarada and Sasuke was palpable. They were so far from each other that it stung, and Sasuke couldn't help but notice how Sarada stayed far apart from Sasuke and rather rested by Naruto's side as the two children slept. They would leave at daybreak, per Naruto's orders. 

"Hey, Sasuke-" Naruto called out to him in a whisper. 

"What is it?" Sasuke asked, his scowl resting on his chiselled face. 

"I know it's a mission, but you should really be a bit more considerate to Sarada's feelings-"

"Shut up."

"But-"

"Shut up and sleep. We'll need all the rest for tomorrow." Naruto huffed before complying with the Shadow Hokage's orders. 

Sasuke looked at Sarada's resting form as she slept. She was so different to what he remembered, and yet she was still the same. She was just as feisty as Sakura, if not more. She had always been the spring to his harshest winters, just like her mother, but it seemed that he had always been an icicle freezing up even her warmest summers. Maybe it was just as well that she resented him. 

***

It was two hours after daybreak that they had arrived at the serpent's lab. Naruto was chiding him for rushing in as if he was walking into his favourite restaurant, but time was of the essence and they needed to find the snake as quick as they could. Once Orochimaru presented himself to them, Sasuke cut to the chase. 

"My child's life was endangered and my wife was kidnapped by a man who seemed like an underling of yours. If you're up to something, spill it now."

They had learnt that their suspicions were correct: similarly to Danzo, Shin Uchiha had defiled the Uchiha name by implanting _sharingans_ into his body. Sasuke had learnt many things about the notorious Shin, one that he had cloned himself multiple times, another that he was obsessed with his late brother, Itachi Uchiha. 

It was likely that Shin had misunderstood Itachi as Sasuke had once did, and it was the wrong path lit by Itachi's dark past that Shin was embarking upon. It was well-known far and wide by even mere civilians that Itachi Uchiha, as a resurrected shinobi, had put an end to the Edo Tensei in the last Great War due to Naruto insisting on freeing some blemishes off his name. As Orochimaru continued explaining how humans and clones were just genes, and how one could find relatedness with another, Sarada cut in and asked eagerly, "Even for normal siblings... and parents and children, not just clones?" 

Sasuke looked at his child and he could see how torn she was. But now was not the time to console her.

"Sure, would you like to put it to the test, dear?" Orochimaru offered. 

Sasuke cut in at this, not wanting his old master to interfere and intrude with his family's personal affairs. "We have no time for games. I bet you know where this Shin is holed up, don't you? Tell us," he ordered. 

Orochimaru lead them to another room which held a screen illustrating Shin's current hideout. By normal running distance, it would take a month to travel there at best, Sasuke calculated. But Sasuke had other methods of travel in his arsenal. 

Once they were ready, they stood at the mouth of the cave but it came to Sasuke's attention that two of his group were missing: the idiot and his own child. It was another half an hour before they appeared. 

"Where have you two been?!" Sasuke scolded. 

Sarada seemed even more torn apart than before, and Naruto's spit landed on Sasuke's face as his own came inches just before his, and an offending finger pointed at Sasuke. Naruto hissed, "SASUKE! We gotta discuss something later!"

"What about?" Sasuke asked, curious as to whether it had anything to do with Sarada's drop in her mood. 

"Not now. First, we're gonna rescue Sakura."

It was at that moment that Orochimaru butted into the conversation. "She might be dead already, you know," he added in unhelpfully, with a smug grin gracing his lips. 

_The snake._ He heard the two kids gasp in horror, and Sasuke affirmed his opinion on his wife's abilities. "My wife's not weak. She may have wrapped everything up once we get there," he attested, as if it were a fact. Sasuke said his thanks, and they departed with his _susano._

***

They had been flying for approximately 3 hours, held within the soul of purple chakra that was encased around them like a chamber. This method of travel was not one that Sasuke used often, only in emergencies; heck, one of the last times he had travelled like this was when Sarada was threatening to break out of Sakura's womb as Karin held onto Sakura. Now, eleven years later, he was once again with his child and another Uzumaki - as well as the additional child. 

With Sasuke's chakra surrounding the others, he could feel his daughter's apprehension about him - and he guessed, his relationship with Sakura - but he could not dwell on her feelings for this was a mission. A mission to save her mother. And effectively, restore peace to his family. Luckily, Sarada had Naruto beside her for comfort, and so Sasuke continued to keep his focus upon searching out the imposter's hideout. It was when he sensed that they were close to the place that the serpant lord had showed them, that he called out, "We should be close. Naruto, sense them out." 

"Right!" came the response. 

Soon enough, the _susano_ was heading downwards towards hills that were painted in the same sickly white as both 'parent' and child of Shin Uchiha. As soon as they had landed, Sasuke revoked his purple chakra, and the two shinobi and two children ran ahead towards where they had heard a loud crash, followed by "...MY HUSBAND AND MY DAUGHTER!" 

As much as Sasuke's heart longed to, there was no time to reflect on his wife's outburst, and his child was skidding past child Shin's left, right and centre and was scrambling towards her mother's voice. Naruto and Sasuke had decided that Naruto would take care of the Akimichi child as he fought the endless Shin clones, whilst Sasuke shadowed his daughter. 

Sarada had carelessly gone off ahead and was not prepared for the weapon hurling itself towards her at lightning speed. But before it could even scrape her, Sasuke put the weapon aflame with his _amaterasu_. He would not let anything harm his daughter. 

She seemed to be in shock as he passed her calmly, hiding his concern over her. "Papa!" she had yelled when she had noticed her saviour. When she no longer followed the path towards the Uchiha matriarch, he turned back and asked, "What's the matter? Let's go." That seemed to have gotten her out of her frenzy, as she followed suit. 

As Sasuke followed the cavern and followed the blood red stream of water, he could hear the outbreak of a battle. It was clear that Sakura was not at a loss, and so he did not interfere just yet, having faith in her abilities. However, when he heard her groan in pain as two daggers were anchored deep inside her flesh, Sasuke summoned his _susano_ once again to prevent Shin Uchiha from harming his wife. Whilst he was at it, he also ensured to crush Shin with a giant purple fist, with a strength that was barely equivalent to his wife's. 

He heard Sarada screaming, "MAMA!" followed by a softer, "Mama... you're hurt...", and so Sasuke approached his wife who was now slumped onto the floor holding her injured arm in agony. Sasuke pushed his daughter out of the way and knelt down beside his flower as he dragged out the daggers which had buried themselves deep inside her creamy flesh. Sakura winced at the action, but he could tell she was relieved. 

"Amaterasu!" No thing should exist in a world that attempts to defile his loved ones. 

Sasuke straightened himself up again before asking, "You can heal your wounds yourself, right?" 

"Yes..", she grunted. Before turning her head to the side and softening her face as well as her voice, "Thank you... darling." 

And again. 

A word of endearment. 

It pierced through to his heart, leaving him wondering and questioning how could she still be so devoted to him after everything he had done? How could still love him? How could she bear to still speak to him, and so lovingly at that? 

_Thank you, Sakura._

Truly, her love had no bounds. After all this time, after everything he had put them through, they were still so in love with the other. 

They were still connected. That was true enough. 

Sasuke's serene thoughts were halted when he heard the groans of a deep man's voice. Sasuke turned his head abruptly back with his _mangekyo sharingan_ to see the original Shin Uchiha dragging himself and his one leg. 

"With a leg like that, you shouldn't be able to move anymore," Sasuke announced, matter-of-factly. Sasuke drew out his _katana_ from its sheath and approached the almost dead man. It had been the teamwork of husband and wife that had gotten the deranged, bald man into this state. "We'll be examining you thoroughly back at the Leaf." 

Unexpectedly, the first Shin child that Sasuke had encountered braced himself in front of Sasuke, effectively defending the original. Sasuke made it clear that his enemy was the original Shin and not this child. But yet, the child would not move. And so the child had chosen his fate. If he wished to sacrifice himself, then so be it. Sasuke would help the child make its decision. 

Sasuke drew his _katana_ held up high, and gave the child standing before him one last chance to revoke his decision. But no words slipped out. The end was near. The child would die at the hands of Sasuke Uchiha, and this would be the start to the end of Shin Uchiha. A family of imposters and liars. The blade came down fast. The cold blade came in contact with sickly white skin, close enough to almost draw blood. It would be a quick and painless death, Sasuke would make sure- 

"STOP IT, PAPA!"

Sasuke's whole being froze at his own child's cries. He didn't think. His body reacted on its own at her voice. Just like her mother, her voice had a mystical effect on his body, one that he didn't quite understand. 

Blood fell out of the child's mouth, and Sasuke winced at the pain. The original Shin had struck through his own child to get to Sasuke. 

"Sasuke-kun!" he heard behind him. 

Both Sasuke and the child fell to their knees. 

The bastard with eyes bulging out of his head was talking about how parental feelings had oppressed Sasuke, which was what had led him to his downfall. Sasuke grimaced up at the psychotic, toothless, freak. 

"Darling!" he heard his wife's sweet voice call from behind in desperation. It was clear that she was trying to get close to him, but the bastard prevented her from getting too close. Perhaps he was fearful of her fists. 

The lunatic started lecturing both husband and wife about how Sasuke was a disgrace to the Uchiha, and how the Akatsuki would once again be revived. Behind him, he could hear his wife's comforting words to their daughter: "Don't worry, Sarada. Something like this isn't enough to defeat your Papa," her voice was soft and reassuring like a mother's should be. "Trust us. Your Papa and I will protect you no matter what!" 

At her words, Sasuke peered back around until his _rinnengan_ found the beauty and strength that was his wife. With only a look, they had connected their thoughts and Sakura had understood his intentions. They had done something like this before; once upon a time a pregnant Sakura had instigated a battle-plan like this, and now it was Sasuke's turn. 

Sakura was running the opposite way, earning an arrogant scoff from Shin, and just before Sakura could become impaled with the army of weapons, Sasuke switched places with Sakura. Her ferocious fist planted itself on Shin's face and knocked him flying. 

"You said a parent's love is worthless... but I don't agree. Never underestimate a parent," Sakura rebuked Shin, before she fell forward onto the cold ground. Sarada ran towards her mother, and Sasuke could only silently agree with his wife's words. He watched Shin drag himself away. At that, Sasuke reminded him how he had been defeated. "It's over, Shin."

Naruto and Chocho ran into the room and settled themselves beside his family, meaning that the Hokage must have dealt with the enemy. 

In an unexpected turn of events, the clones that Naruto clearly did not kill, made their way to the parent Shin and impaled him with his own weapons. They had taken on his ideals and had decided for themselves that they were the new evolution of Uchiha's. There were all sorts of variations of clones as Sasuke had once suspected, and here they all were, hurling themselves at Naruto's shadow clones. One gigantic Shin appeared but Sasuke used his _susano_ to ensure it did not come near his family or friends. Whilst Sasuke was occupied, the one-eyed freak from before made its entrance and attempted to use the _t_ eleportation _jutsu_ again on Sakura. Sasuke was not close enough to handle the situation himself, so he said the first name that came to mind. "Sarada!" 

"I know!" came the response from his offspring. She flung a shuriken towards the one-eyed Shin which prevented the transportation _jutsu,_ and then proceeded to land a striking blow on the freak with the aid of her scarlet _sharingan_. "SHANNARO!" 

Seeing his daughter in action, she was a true reflection of her mother. A surge of pride ran through him and he couldn't suppress it as he breathed out her name with a smile. She was truly the perfect mix of both of them. 

Soon, Naruto had used Kurama to calm down the group of kid Shin Uchiha's. 

"You're still as soft as I remember," Sasuke told Naruto, what had to be the tenth time during the duration of this fight. 

As Hokage, Naruto felt it was his duty to teach these children right from wrong, and he informed Sasuke that he knew the best place for these children. Sasuke felt slightly sceptical at Naruto's decision, and with _whom_ he would leave them with, but it was Naruto after all. When have they ever agreed on something without a disagreement first? 

The Akimichi child ran up to Sarada, admiring her monstrous strength as well as the same scarlet eyes she shared with her Papa. At Chocho's words, something must have clicked, as Sarada's crimson eyes softened as if she had finally understood something. But before Sasuke could completely comprehend what thoughts may be going through his daughter, he watched as his wife embraced their daughter in a tight hug. Making him ponder about their tag-team during the battle; if she had understood him then, with a single look... then... could she also understand his heart? How it had been aching? How sorry he is? He couldn't help but still wonder. 

"Are you okay, Sarada?! You had me so worried!" 

"I'm sorry..."

"I'm so glad you're alright." 

Sasuke looked over at his family. He felt like he knew the answer. That yes, she was still in love with him. But he would make it a point to ask her later. But now at least, he would allow mother and daughter to reconcile whilst he watched from a safe place. He had caused a strain on all sides of relationships within his small, little family. And was wary to not do anything else to strain it further. It was clear they needed some time alone, and so he turned himself away, allowing his wife and child to hold each other longer. 

"Ow... you're squishing me Mama!" he heard his daughter choke out. 

"Oh, sorry." He smiled to himself, he knew better than anyone how crushing her hugs could be. 

He heard the mother of his child explain how she had spoken to Shizune and confirmed that yes, she was Sarada's mother, rather irritably. He knew that her own child throwing accusations like that must have hurt her deeply, as it was a couple of years ago where Sakura was in tears over civilians spreading rumours that Sasuke and Sakura were not actually married, or that Sarada was not either of their child. Those words had dug deep. And to come from her own child, it must have felt like Sakura had been encased into a coffin. 

"Yeah. I know that now. It's all right. As long as we love each other... and our feelings are connected," Sasuke heard Sarada say. Sasuke sighed out in relief. He knew that his wife had felt the same. They were mother and daughter, without a doubt. 

"Papa!" He turned around slightly to her call. 

"Are your feelings really connected with Mama's?" she asked, her face contorting to only seriousness laced with intrigue. She watched in anticipation to his answer, or any sign of a non-verbal answer. But he had already decided that this was a question that deserved an answer, not just for Sarada, but also for the sake of Sakura and Sasuke's relationship. 

"Yeah..." he replied. 

"How can you say that for sure?" she asked, begging for more of an explanation. 

He allowed himself to turn around fully and looked into her scarlet eyes. She was still an angelic figure; innocence. She was as pure as the day she was born. She was his starlight. She was the birth of spring. 

"Because you exist... Sarada." 

His gaze flickered to his wife and then back to his daughter. 

His wife's softened face only reflected true love and adoration for her husband and child, and he knew without a doubt the answer to all his questions. 

Looking back at his child, he watched as tears brimmed on the surface of her lower lash line, and how she adjusted her glasses so she could wipe her tears away. It was clear that she too had understood behind the meaning of his words. 

She was created out of love. 

The love between scarlet, blood-red winters and the warmth of spring. 

She was his scarlet spring. 

And he would do whatever it takes to continue protecting her. 

He made his way towards his family and gave his wife a knowing look. It was the look he would give her when in public to say, _I love you_. She grinned back that set his heart on fire, warmer than any black flames. 

Naruto announced, enthusiastically enough, to the Uchiha's and Chocho that it was time to go home. 

Sasuke turned to Naruto with a sharp gaze and said, "Aren't you forgetting something?"

"Huh?"

Sasuke nodded towards the army of Shin Uchiha's behind the Hokage and the blonde fool rubbed his neck, letting out a nervous chuckle. "Ehehe.. yeah, I forgot. Sasuke, is it okay if you handle it? I can't be away from the village for too long."

"Hn."

He heard a rush of footsteps behind him and then a tug at his cloak. "PAPA!"

He turned around to look at her defeated face that could barely look at him. The tears had surfaced again, and she whimpered out, "...Will you... won't you come home, Papa? Please..."

His heart broke at her words. Truthfully, he was intending on coming home and making amends, but it had made sense why she had reached that conclusion. 

A warm hand laced with a silver bracelet landed on Sarada's shoulder. Sarada looked up and scarlet was met with emerald. "I can go with your Papa, hm? That way he has to come back," Sakura said softly with a warm smile. Sarada's face lit up with delight.

"R-really?" 

"Of course. Besides, I've worked with the orphanage before with my mental health facility so I know the quickest routes to get there."

"That's settled then!" the Hokage finalised. "And I'll take the kids home. We'll meet you two at Shikoro Pass, eh?" he said, directing the question to the Uchiha couple. "And I can tell you guys more stories of the legendary Team 7." Naruto winked at Sarada and Chocho. 

Husband and wife set off, with an army of _sharingans_ invading their personal space within the case of purple chakra as they flew threw the air with Sakura lending her chakra to Sasuke and directing him. 

No matter what course they followed, however, he could not keep his mismatched eyes off of her. 

She was the peace that he was yearning for these past few years. And he was home. 

***

"It's been a long time since I've seen you two lovebirds," sneered the orphanage director. "I still remember the days Sakura Haruno used to be all over you back when you were both young genin, heh. What now, hm? Does Sasuke Uchiha demand not to be touched in public, is that it?" Kabuto teased. 

"It's Sakura Uchiha now," Sasuke corrected, ignoring the rest. "We've got an order from the Hokage." 

"Oh? Well, how many is it this time, Haru- Uchiha?" Kabuto asked Sakura with a smug grin at the end. 

Sakura maintained professionalism, as she always did during missions and replied, "Well... about that. There's a couple. And they may need to stay a while."

Kabuto followed them outside of the orphanage and took one long look at the children standing before him. He inhaled a long breath. Before releasing. "Well, that is interesting. Tell the Seventh I'll take them and thank you," Kabuto smiled at the Uchiha couple and ushered his new children inside. 

Sakura thanked Kabuto and waved goodbye to the kids, before falling in stride with Sasuke, her hands clasped together behind her back as they walked side by side in silence, a small, content smile on her face. They walked for about fifteen minutes like that, until Sasuke could take no more and stopped in his tracks and looked at Sakura who seemed to be lost in thought. 

"Huh?" she asked when she bumped into Sasuke's stumped arm. "Is something wrong?"

He looked at her. _Really_ looked at her. As if it was the first time he was seeing her in years, and in a way, he supposed it was. He looked at the red headband that she still wore and her even shorter hair. The purple diamond seated on her forehead he loved so much, and her mint green eyes. His eyes trailed down her bodice and went lower still, lingering on her exposed navel before his gaze went up again and found her lips. 

"Sasuke-kun, what is it?" she whispered, slight concern seeping into her words. 

"Sakura..." he whispered back. "I'm sorry..."

Her lips parted slightly before she asked. "For what?"

"For everything. I've hurt you, and I've hurt Sarada. Everything is my fault. I... I tore us all apart. You shouldn't be with someone like me. You should have moved on when you had the chance, Sakura. And that way, Sarada wouldn't have felt the absence of a father. You should have-"

"Sasuke," she interrupted, placing a finger on his lips. 

He tugged her wrist away and said, "Don't do that. Don't forgive me so easily. Why aren't you mad at me? You should hate me."

Sakura sighed and flitted her eyes towards the floor before she looked up again. "If this is about... that letter... Then, yes. I did hate you. For a long time. If you really want to know, yes, you broke my heart. I trusted you, and you betrayed us. But... but after a while... I just... " Sakura trailed off at some long lost memory as her eyes found their feet again.

Sasuke titled her chin up so she could see the intensity of his gaze. "Sakura. Do you still love me?" He was sure he knew the answer, but he still needed to hear it. 

A burst of laughter erupted from Sakura's lips. "What? I really do live with a family of idiots, don't I? Of course I do! That's why..."

Sasuke frowned at her inability to finish off her sentences. "'Why', what? Sakura, I realised today that our feelings are still connected as it was when we first had Sarada, but... for so long, I thought... if you had forgiven me so long ago, why did you not reach out? I asked Naruto to relay a message from me. I've been aching to hear from you, Sakura. So, why..."

"I know, Sasuke... Naruto told me. I haven't been able to sleep for years."

"Because you hated me?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper, hoping he was wrong.

"No, because I loved you. Because you make me so mad. I don't know. You can be really irritating, Sasuke Uchiha," she huffed with a pout. Sasuke couldn't help but admire how cute she looked. But still...

"You still didn't answer my other questions," he reminded her. 

"After a while, I realised what you had written in your letter must have been the truth. That you never meant to hurt her. You've never lied to me, I know. You've just... hidden things from me. And it took me a while to get around to understanding that. Not having anyone to confide in was hard, Sasuke. And so I would write heartfelt, frustrated letters to you and burn them before I allowed your messenger bird to take them. But then... then I found myself writing a love letter to you. And then three. And then more than I could count. I had them all sent off, and I wondered why you weren't replying. It was later announced that letters from Konoha were being intercepted and were ordered not to send them anymore. ...But when I received that message from Naruto... you don't know how happy that made me. To hear from you. To hear you were safe. That you were still thinking of me. And it also made me think, that all those times my heart was aching for you, all those mixture of emotions nagging at me, keeping me from being focused at work... I realised that you must have been feeling the same. And so I tried to be strong for me and Sarada, and for you, indirectly. Hoping it would heal your heart in some way. Hoping you knew that I was still so in love with you Sasuke-kun, and I would trade the world, minus Sarada, to have you by my side once again. 

"I- I wish- I just wished you would come back. I know we were a crooked love, but I still wanted you. I couldn't forget you, even if I could. Everything reminded me of you," Sakura let out a long breathe. "Wow, that was actually really therapeutic, I should take my own advice more often," she giggled. 

Sasuke's heart softened at her words. And so... it had made sense. All his mixed emotions had partly been a reflection of Sakura's own feelings towards him. All the times he had felt her love through the daylight parting through the clouds, it was because she did, in fact, love him. 

"Sakura, thank you. And I'm sorry again for all I put you through.. When I sent you that letter... I noticed how you found it hard to sleep. I'm sorry for causing you so many sleepless nights..."

"Sasuke, like I said. It wasn't because I hated you." Sasuke rose a brow at this. "Okay, maybe _some_ nights before and months after I received that letter it was because I was so engulfed in my rage over you that it was consuming every little part of me... but later on, and even when I was just so _angry_ with you, I found myself sleeping in your tops you had left over the years... and well, even when I had forgiven you, Sasuke, what do you expect? How can you expect me to sleep without you next to me in the space you leave? How was I supposed to breathe without you? When you're not here with me, how am I supposed to live? I swear that my heart barely functions without you, and it's silly of me saying that since I'm a medic, but-"

Sasuke silenced her with a kiss. It was full of hunger and desperation. His fingers sifted through her silky short locks, and when he found no more hair his hands searched for skin, until he was tracing her stomach. Sakura parted her lips from Sasuke's and started giggling, "Sasuke-kun, that tickles." 

"It's not my fault you're exposing one of my favourite parts of your body, now is it?" he rasped into her ear. 

He moved away to smirk at her blush and her flustered face. "Erm, well... actually... I started wearing this so that I could be reminded of you actually..." 

He held his smirk as he looked at her, clearly amused by her confession. "Is that so? Well, don't wear that in the house tonight and tomorrow. I don't think I'd be able to keep my hand off you. I don't want Sarada to see us in such an embarrassing state." 

"Y-yes," she squeaked, clearly thinking about all the possible ways she could seduce her husband if she kept on these clothes at home. 

They held a long stare, the sexual tension so obvious that even the birds flew away to give the couple some privacy. Sasuke walked forward forcing Sakura to walk backwards until her back hit the bark of a tree. Sasuke towered over her and whispered seductively, "Sakura, I've missed you... In more ways than one." 

He watched as Sakura gulped before she unclasped and used his cloak to shield them from anyone passing by the forest of trees. Despite being under the darkness of a cloak, they only felt the spark of light unfold as each of his touches ignited a fire between them. His kisses were slow and tender, but their thrusts met together wildly until her moans could be heard freely throughout the jungle of trees. After they had devoted themselves to each other through a confession of love through the action of their bodies joining together, he looked down at her and cradled her face for one last kiss. When he pulled away, he rested his head on her shoulder, and whispered, "Let's go back. Sarada's waiting." 

He felt her hands circle his waist as she hugged him. "Yes. We did promise her after all, darling," she whispered back. 

He smiled into her shoulder. "I love you, Sakura," he told his wife. 

"I know, Sasuke-kun." 

Everything that he had ripped apart had now found its way back together. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was supposed to end when Sasuke leaves again, but I've already written 11000+ words soo.... it'll have to be next time.
> 
> Song that inspired the last bit of this chapter: 
> 
> I wish you would - Taylor Swift  
> Breathe - Little Mix
> 
> What did you think? Leave a comment.


	24. Illuminate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know why, but I found this chapter difficult to write. Also, there's a certain dialogue that was inspired by fan art. 
> 
> Thank you for the votes and lovely comments, I'm a sucker for them. 

The clouds billowed softly across the sea blue sky, and the leaves danced to the rhythm of the sweet songs that were sung by the footsteps of a husband and wife as they walked a path that was clear to them, their hands intertwined. A pretty blush rose on the cheeks of the woman as she let out a soft, content sigh. "I really missed this, Sasuke," she admitted in a hushed whisper, as they traded secrets beneath the warm daylight. "Just us, together. Enjoying what life has to offer. I've missed you, terribly so." 

He looked down at his wife who was holding her smiles and emotions close to her heart, somewhere where only he had the privilege to access. "Ah, I've missed it too," he offered, softly. His thumb grazed her knuckles before squeezing her hand three times. Each squeeze represented a different word. A secret. An expression that only she could understand: _I love you._

He watched in satisfaction as she stole a look at him with a side-glance and then looked back towards the path before them, biting her lip. Through the course of the next two minutes, he noticed her stealing glances at him numerous amounts of time. Eventually her actions piqued his interest and he asked, "What's with you?"

"Hm? O-oh, it's nothing..." she mumbled, licking her lips shyly as she desperately tried to not make eye contact. 

He rose a brow at her meekness. "You weren't this shy when you were punching Shin into a bloody pulp," he smirked at her. 

"Well, you weren't this expressive when you were facing him off, either," she retorted back, harsher than she meant to. 

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at this and stopped walking to ask, "Are you mad at me for that?" Knowing full well his daughter was hardly amused at his cold front.

Sakura's footsteps dwindled to a stop too and she turned to face her husband, rubbing her right arm behind her back with her left. "No, I..." She dug her toe into the ground and twisted her lips as she searched for the confidence to speak her mind. "It's nothing to do with that... It's just... Well... how do I put this?" Sasuke was growing impatient by the minute. "You-you've just became more handsome, Sasuke-kun," she whispered shyly. 

Sasuke let out an amused huff of air through his nose. He brought his hand close to her and tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear. "As you have, my wife. You..." _Your beauty entrances me._ She seemed to have gotten his meaning as she suddenly flung her arms around his neck and squirmed in delight. Sasuke held her waist and fought to push her off him. 

"Sakura," he urged. "If we're not careful, we'll be late in catching up with Naruto. If it was any other time, you'd know I'd happily oblige to another round, but..."

Sakura dragged herself off of him and straightened her bodice. "A-ah. You're right. Sorry. I just got a bit excited. Do you need a hand in using your _susano_ again? It'll be much faster." 

Sasuke complied, and husband and wife travelled together within a purple chasm once again. 

"It's funny," Sakura said after half an hour of flying. "I remember us going this fast for Sarada's sake before," she chuckled at the memory. "Only, Karin was there with us back then. Gosh, it was so stressful." 

The mention of Karin ignited something in Sasuke. He looked at his wife and wondered whether he should tell her, in the end he thought it was best to not keep any more secrets from her. "Sakura..." he started. "You should know. Sarada found the old Team Taka photo-"

"I know, Sasuke. Shizune-sama told me as much."

Sasuke's eyes widened in surprise before he composed himself again. "Hn. So you know that Sarada thought Karin was her real mother."

"WHAT?!" 

Sasuke frowned. "I thought you said Shizune..."

"Shizune told me that Sarada found the picture of you and your old team, and that Sarada was asking about her birth and if I was her real mother. But, I never thought- AH! That silly girl! She truly is your daughter, you know! You're both fools, reaching crazy assumptions like I don't love you or I'm not her real mother! You both drive me crazy! Sasuke, go faster! That girl of ours is going to get a scolding tonight! Hmph!"

Sasuke picked up the pace but held Sakura's wrist as he said, "Sakura. You shouldn't be too hard on her. It's not her fault. We're the ones that kept her in the dark. It's only natural she became curious, I understand that now."

Sakura sighed and replied, "You always were so soft on her... Fine. We'll do it your way." 

Sasuke smiled at her and quickened the pace until he found a spark of blonde hair nestled next to brown and black. 

As they neared closer, their voices became clearer until they could plainly make out the words of the Hokage to the children. 

"-and I was the one who was always at the centre of any fight, kicking ass as I do. Sakura-chan would be the one behind the mastermind planning in Team 7, and her chakra control was so great even back then."

"What about Sarada's Papa? You don't really seem to mention him in any of your stories even though that was the whole point..." ChoCho pointed out, her voice dull with accusation.

Sarada nervously chuckled, as if to agree with her friend.

"Well that's just it," Naruto replied, unfazed by the children's curiosity. "He was either foiling our plans with his loud-mouthed entrances, or just standing helplessly behind us expecting me and Sakura-chan to do all the work!"

"Yesterday you told us Sarada's Papa was awfully cool at the academy... and from what we saw, he still is. Something isn't adding up..." Chocho reflected. 

"What bullshit are you telling the kids now?" 

At Sasuke's velvety voice, both children spun their heads towards Sasuke and Sakura. Sarada leapt up in joy and waved over to her parents. "PAPA! MAMA! You made it!" 

"Ah, Sakura-chan. Idiot," Naruto greeted. "I was telling the kids that if you didn't make it within the hour then we'd have to head to Konoha by ourselves."

Sasuke's gaze never flitted from Sarada's form, and he noticed how at the Hokage's words, her shoulders had slumped. But it was then that Sakura approached their daughter and made contact with Sarada's head with the palm of her hand. Sarada looked up to her mother's reassuring, kind features. "Hey," Sakura, cooed softly at her daughter. "We're here now. And your Papa's coming home with us. Even if you lot departed without us, that fact wouldn't change." 

Sarada's face beamed in delight at her mother's words and she threw her hands over her mother's torso. "Thank you, Mama," Sasuke heard his daughter whisper. The magnitude of his two lights aligning themselves together, allowing their brightness to sear into one another until they were the blinding, but caressing, daylight which overpowered Sasuke's senses. If he wasn't careful, his hidden emotions may start to leak out of his mismatched eyes. In order to avoid this, Sasuke unclasped his cloak and threw it at his best friend, the action mirroring Sasuke's initial departure during the day of the Gokage council. Sasuke walked on ahead, past his family, and set the pace for the journey to home. Soon enough, Sakura's strides met up with his and she fell beside his side, where she belonged. They continued walking, no words needed to confirm the love that they held for each other or their daughter. No touches were needed to signal how they had longed for each other. No. In public, all they needed was to be by each other's side, and if they ever yearned for more, an intense eye contact would tell them all they needed to know. 

And so husband and wife continued walking at a leisurely pace, taking in the fresh air that they both consumed which gave life to their lungs with each intake; the soft strokes of the grass beneath them that tickled their ankles; and the delicate rays of sunlight that caressed their figures. Her warmth radiated off of her and made its way to him, filling him up whole, until he felt as if the tips of his fingers tingling and his arm tensing. 

He had the urge to touch her. Again. 

He shifted his onyx her towards her, hoping that she would understand the signal, and she did not disappoint. Onyx met emerald irises, and an inviting smile painted her lips. He could understand her intentions from that _look_ on her face. It wasn't a smile of the vixen she would sometimes play within their bed sheets as their limbs intertwined together, nor was it the smile of the devoted wife he knew her to be. Rather, it was a warm, knowing smile of the mother which she had become eleven years ago. 

Their feet slowed to a stop simultaneously, and they both turned to find their daughter walking towards them a few feet ahead of the Hokage and the Akimichi child. Sasuke looked on with his hand on his hip, as he waited for their daughter to catch up to them. She too walked at a leisurely pace, but Sasuke did not mind. He would be patient with his daughter as he always had been when it came to her. He noticed how she studied her parents as she neared towards them. With each step she took, he could only surmise, that she was trying to put the pieces together of her parents' love for each other and towards her. Perhaps, she was strategising how she would make up for lost time with her Papa, something which should truly be his responsibility. 

He watched her watch him. And pride engulfed him. She was the splitting image of him, yet she held a fierce aura like her mother. As his starlight beckoned closer, just out of reach, both Mama and Papa extended their limbs out to their daughter. Sarada unclasped her hands from behind her back and greeted her parent's soft smiles with her own before taking their hands into hers. 

Her touch emanated Sakura's soft caresses, and Sasuke felt even more whole than before, if that was possible. 

With Sarada settled between them, Sasuke was reminded of a time when she was only a few weeks old, settled snugly between the heat of her two young parents as they would nestle her between themselves. He was reminded of a time earlier than that, when he would guard a newborn babe and its mother with his cloak through the storms and downpour with his own body as shelter, when they were miles away from an inn, on their way to Konoha. 

With Sarada between them right now, he felt connected to both Sakura and Sarada as hands were linked, and so were hearts. Minds were at peace. And he could rest, for now, at least. 

Behind the Uchiha family, he heard Naruto sigh in content, and Sasuke could only imagine a smile plastered onto the blonde's mouth. He heard the other female child coo, "Aw, Sarada. You're _so_ lucky. Your Papa and Mama love you so much. I hope my _real_ Papa loves me half as much..." 

He was sure Sarada had turned around to face her friend and shine a massive grin behind before they had resumed their journey. And so they continued, hand in hand. Parents and child. A family finally reunited, kindling the fire in their hearts that had almost simmered away, and now they were only left with the illuminating light of their bonds. 

As the day trudged on, the orange Hokage and the brown haired girl looked fondly over at the Uchiha family and how the daylight had simmered down to an orange glow that illuminated even the darkest hearts. The trees surrounding them were starting to thicken, and the legendary trio of Team 7 knew the rest of the way like the backs of their hands. Even the inexperienced child beside Naruto had recognised the surroundings. 

"Hey, Sarada!" Chocho called out. "I'll race you until we see the gates of Konoha!" 

Sarada huffed and apologised to her parents. "Ah.. Sorry, but I guess I have no choice..." Sarada slipped her smaller hand from Sasuke's larger one and bolted off ahead. Sasuke smiled at the sight of his daughter enjoying the company of her friend, and he presumed Sakura must have felt the same way as she giggled softly as she looked ahead. 

Their moment of tranquility was interrupted by none other than their own friend who approached them with his hands behind his head.

"Eh, Sasuke. Reminds me of us, huh? Some healthy competition was always good for the both of us, ehehe," Naruto chuckled. Sakura snorted at Naruto's comment.

"Healthy? I would say your friendship was more toxic than the poisonous kunais I make," Sakura countered. 

"Toxic? Me? Sakura-chan, I believe you've mistaken me for Sas-"

"She's right. You were always a sore loser," Sasuke cut in.

"HEY! We're supposed to be a team! So stop picking on me, you two! We're supposed to be Team 7, not Team Husband and Wife, dattebayo!" 

Sakura giggled. "It's nice to have all of us three together again... We really didn't hang out as much as we should have after getting married, you know? Now that Sasuke's home, we should-"

"Sakura." Sasuke stopped her before she could divulge further into her fantasies. She looked at him expectantly, and her big, round eyes looked into his black, narrowed ones. He almost did not want to deny her requests, but he needed to be transparent with her. 

"What is it, Sasuke-kun?"

"I can't stay for long," he told her. 

"Oh, of course. But I was just thinking-"

"I'll have to leave tomorrow."

Sasuke watched Sakura's back as she walked on ahead, his gaze landing on the Uchiha crest that was emblazoned onto her back, signifying who she was tied to. 

" _Sakura_ ", he tried again, his voice straining as he desperately awaited her response. "I'm sorry, it's just-"

"You don't have to explain yourself," Sakura replied softly. She turned around to look back at Sasuke. "I understand, Sasuke-kun. It'll just be you, me and Sarada today and tomorrow, hm?" 

Sasuke's usual expressionless demeanor softened at her words. _Thank you._ She closed her eyes and smiled as she recognised the subtle change in his body language. "Darling, if you need to have a private chat about your mission with Naruto that's fine. I can give you some space." 

Before he could protest to say that her presence was welcomed, she had already moved on ahead, leaving Sasuke and Naruto behind the group. 

"When you two talk, it's like I'm not even here," Naruto complained. "I swear I've been the third wheel since the start of our _genin_ days. It's so unfair."

"Are you a child? Shut up," Sasuke scolded. Sasuke then told Naruto of the affairs in the Land of Waterfall, and what the village chief had told him of _chunin_ being sent, and only then, would the chief disclose of its links with Kaguya's history to Sasuke. Naruto agreed on the terms and they both agreed that Sasuke would leave at 3pm tomorrow. 

"Are you sure you can't stay longer?" Naruto asked Sasuke. "It's bad enough Sarada's convinced Sakura isn't her biological mother, and you're really going to allow her to suffer more by still being absent?" 

Sasuke's stony face looked ahead. A few moments passed before Sasuke took his cloak from Naruto and then graced him with a reply. "Sakura has already cleared that up. But we'll talk to Sarada again. Like I've told you before, Naruto. Think about your own family."

"So does that mean that you and Sakura- Does that mean Sarada is truly Sakura's daughter?!" 

At the mention of Sakura's name multiple times, her ears had perked up and she had waited for Sasuke and Naruto catch up. "What's this about me being Sarada's mother? Of course I am!"

"A-ah! So Sasuke really isn't that much of a jerk? Because his moronic salt-water friend matched Sarada's DNA to Karin's umbilical cord and..." Naruto's words faltered as he noticed a sole onyx eye and a pair of emerald glare at him. 

" _That was mine and Sarada's umbilical cord, Naruto!"_ Sakura seethed. 

Realisation dawned on Naruto's face, and he let out a nervous chuckle. "Of course, that's what... I told Sarada from the start..." 

Sakura frowned at Naruto at the implication he was making that he certainly did not clarify that fact to her daughter, as he had not known. Sasuke blew air out through his nose as he decided to relent and, for this once, save his dumbass friend from the wrath of his wife's anger. 

"Naruto. Thank you for taking care of Sarada the past two days," Sasuke said, his voice and face stoic as ever, but his words digging deep into both of his close one's hearts. Both Naruto and Sakura's face contorted from embarrassment and annoyance into one of surprise, before they both started to lose themselves to laughter. 

"It really is like the old days!" Sakura exclaimed, her voice high-pitched as she continued laughing. 

"Who knew that the bastard would actually be good at conflict resolution?" Naruto chuckled. 

And so the once great Team 7 continued on their journey, with Naruto leading the way. Only a few moments passed before they caught up to the two children ahead of them. The Akimichi child was panting as she bent over with her hands on her knees and Sarada was nonchalantly waiting for the adults as she leaned against the tree. She pushed herself off as she saw the adults emerge from the trees, and greeted them with a smile. 

"Sarada... is definitely the daughter of you two monsters..." Chocho wheezed out between pants. "I could barely catch up... I really need a mega-barbecue meal once we get back home! I can just taste it! Sarada... can we walk the rest of the way?" 

Sarada let out a giddy laugh before her and her friend once again set the pace the rest of the way home. It was just outside the village gates that loomed above them that they came across the head of the Yamanaka and Akimichi clans conversing. Sasuke's heart was illuminated with light as he watched fondly over his daughter interacting with others - like her mother and the Hokage, she had inherited the ability to forge bonds with ease with whoever she met. Sasuke heard an overly-friendly 'Sasuke-kun' from the blonde woman ahead of him, but his gaze was fixated on his daughter who beckoned the Yamanaka away. The action earned a nervous burst of giggles to erupt from none other than his wife. His beloveds made quite a pair. 

"Eh, Sasuke. I'll take care of the paperwork, dattebayo. Get it?" Naruto offered. 

Sasuke looked at the man who exuded warmth and light and Sasuke closed his eyes in gratitude and replied, "Hn. Thanks." 

Sasuke was truly grateful towards Naruto for allowing him as much time as he could to spend with his family - he was truly a great friend. Sasuke's thoughts transitioned from his friend back to his family as they led him to their home. Sasuke appreciated every second that ticked by and every step of the way that he didn't register that the home they entered was not the one he was familiar with sneaking into. 

As they entered the threshold, it suddenly hit Sasuke that he was unfamiliar with his surroundings. Not only that, but he was also unfamiliar with the mother-daughter duo's routine. As he slipped his sandals off, he trailed behind his two girls as they both rushed off to the kitchen to prepare dinner. Sasuke stood by the doorway awkwardly as he watched them both diligently cooperate and take turns with the preparing and the cooking. 

"Sarada, make sure you add the tomatoes-"

"But that's nasty!"

"It's your Papa's favourite, Sarada."

"O-oh. Okay, Mama."

He was still standing in the kitchen doorway eyeing the pile of boxes surrounding him when Sakura turned to face him in her apron he had bought for her all those years ago, after he had torn her previous one. "Darling, you can just leave your cloak on the hook behind the door, hm?" Sakura suggested with a smile and a twinkle in her eye. "Just make yourself at home, okay, darling?" 

Sasuke heeded her words and did as she bid. After finding a place for his cloak he made his way towards the sink and proceeded to wash the dishes which were no longer being occupied, but he was swatted away by his wife. "Sasuke-kun, what do you think you're doing?" his wife hissed at him. 

"You told me to make myself at home..." he mumbled back to her. 

He heard her sigh before she put her hands on her hips and said, "I meant for you to relax. Or have you forgotten what means?" Before he could argue he felt a tug on his left sleeve, and he looked down to see his daughter beside him pulling him towards the dining table. 

"Papa! Sit with me? Mama will set the table, she usually does," Sarada urged as her onyx eyes pleaded with him, causing him to melt. He nodded at his daughter with a small smile which only grew wider when she yelped in delight. Next thing he knew, dinner was being served by his wife, just as his daughter had promised. Sakura came round with the first servings of tomato soup, and it was whilst she was doing her chores that Sasuke found that he had understood how to fill the unsettling silence between himself and his offspring who he barely knew. 

"Sarada..." he started, as he looked upon a reflection of himself, albeit it being a younger, feminine form. "I'm sorry. For everything." He almost choked on the words as he said them, but he figured if he didn't say what he could now, then perchance he would never find the courage or the _time_ to say them. "I put you and your mother through a lot... But some things were necessary, and I can't promise I'll be able to make it up to you... But what I can promise is to stay by your side until I depart tomorrow." 

He watched as his child's face creased together, and as she attempted to fight back tears. "So soon...?" she whispered back. The smell of cooked fish settled amongst them and eased the tension as he looked regretfully over his daughter. 

"Ah. Forgive me, Sarada," he pleaded softly, gifting her one of his more tender smiles, however his smile was also one of sadness and regret - it was a mixture of all those feelings he had harboured for her over all those long, tenuous years, plastered onto his face. 

"Seriously..." Sakura began as she placed down Sasuke's bowl of rice. It seemed that she had found that this would be the appropriate time to address the coils of misunderstandings that Sarada had been tangled within for the past few days. "Shannaro, you guys." Once Sarada's bowl of rice had been set, Sakura's hands found their places on her hips as she stared down both husband and daughter. "Of course you are really and truly my daughter. You're so silly," Sakura chided, her voice laced with slight irritation.

Sasuke watched his daughter intently as she bowed her head towards her mother as an apology of sorts, and continued to observe as she then turned to face himself as he sat beside her. "I'm sorry too, Papa."

Sasuke did not believe Sarada had anything to apologise to him for. Sure, the way she had spoken to him previously may have seemed disrespectful between any other parent and child, but their dynamic was different, and Sarada was not the one at fault for that. "Don't worry about it," he reassured her with a less troubled smile. "You probably took after me in that respect." Sarada seemed delighted at the prospect that she had inherited a trait from her father, despite it not being a favourable trait, she was elated all the same. All these years he had been worried that he would only pass down his worst sides of him to his offspring, and it seemed that he had passed down the least of his worries: jumping to conclusions. He reflected back on how he himself had concluded that marriage had shattered due to his doing, and he no longer resided in the sweet dreams or blissful whispers of his lover. Similarly, Sarada had jumped to conclusions that Sakura was not her mother and was sceptical of her parent's feelings for each other. But all that had been resolved through communication and being in the presence of each other once again. Without Sarada, Sasuke would still be wandering the nights bearing his shattered heart within his palm, unsure of how - or even _when_ \- he would lay sights on his family again. 

Sasuke was still smiling at his daughter, lost in his own thoughts when he heard Sarada ask, "Mama, will you not eat with us?" 

He looked at his wife who was still standing opposite them, wearing her cooking apron as she smiled down at them. "Ah-ah!" Sakura shook her head out of the state she was transfixed in and apologised. "Ah, I'm sorry Sarada. I was lost in my own world for a bit. Of course! I wouldn't miss this moment for the world..." As Sakura rambled on about how she was so happy to finally eat with her Sasuke-kun and Sara-chan again, he watched her take off the apron and place it near his cloak hanging off the door. Black and pink together. And just like that, side by side, they could get through anything. 

The evening was filled with cheery laughs and stories from two females who were jubilant to have their male member of the family back. The enigmatic man himself sent them his gifts of smiles and well-timed grunts to indicate that he was listening. The evening swept away like the billowing breeze of cherry blossom petals, until dusk settled into the night and the first yawn escaped Sarada's lips. 

Sakura rose an eyebrow at Sarada as she rested her chin on her palm; her elbow seated on the table. 

"...and I came first in the school competition when I was five, and Mama looked absolutely raidiant in her sky blue kimono! We have a picture somewhere, it should be in one of the boxes-"

"Sarada," Sakura called.

"-Mama's colleagues must have restored our things after Mama-"

" _Sarada_ ", Sakura called more sternly. Sarada faced her mother and bit her lip, and a look passed between mother and daughter that Sasuke could not decipher. "It's late. You should go to bed."

"But I want to stay up and talk to Papa!" Sarada whined. Her antics were semblance of Sarada's younger years, when she would tighten her hold on her Papa, and longed to hear more of his soothing voice as he whispered stories to her as she fought sleep. Amused, Sasuke reflected that maybe not everything was so different. 

"Sarada. Like I said, we'll have time tomorrow," he reminded her with his gentle smile. 

Sarada's head drooped a little in defeat, but she slid out of her chair nonetheless and started packing away the table. When she was done, she stood in front of her parents and wished them goodnight. 

Both parents watched as their daughter receded down the hallway and out of sight until they were left with a peaceful silence settling between them, as if their love had once again born fruit, but this time what had blossomed was not another child, but a blanket of pure bliss. Sasuke's onyx eye took in her presence and he was content with what he found: green eyes glimmering back at him, and pink lips stretched into a smile. He tore his eyes away from her and fixed them onto the sink where his daughter had left a pile of unwashed dishes waiting to be tended to. Sasuke pushed himself out of his seat and made his way towards the cutlery that were calling his name. The ticking of the clock and the gushing of water was all he heard until he felt a soft touch of a hand on his back and heard the silky voice that could only belong to his wife. 

"Thank you, darling. I'll see you in bed, hm?"

"Ah." 

He felt her lips graze his neck as it found his skin beneath a tangle of his unkempt hair. It was twenty minutes later that he found himself wandering the house, searching for his wife's bedroom. After he had located the shower, adorned in his clothes he kept in his scroll, he came across a door left slightly ajar. He slunk into the dimly lit room like a cat and took in the figure resting beneath the covers, where only her face was visible. She was a petite little thing, and even after all these years, she still slept as gracefully as the day she was born. Sasuke absorbed the sight of his daughter resting, and allowed the moment to forever burn into his mind with his _sharingan_ as he leaned against the doorway. Every waking moment that was not spent with his wife, he wanted it to be spent with his child. He wanted to continue hear her stories tumble out from her delicate mouth, and watch as her eyes brightened as she looked up at him with her adoring eyes. He wanted to watch and support her as she became a fierce kunoichi that rivalled her mother's strength one day... he wanted to be there for her every step of the way... but he knew what he desired was out of reach, and was not a tangible dream, for he still had duties to the world. Duties which meant he would be creating the future he wanted for his starlight. Duties which would ensure that she would have a future, even if it meant he could not see it with his own potent eyes. 

His eyes were still following his daughter's slender nose, and counting her steady breaths when he felt another presence fall into place beside him. He caught the glimpse of pink hair falling into his peripheral vision, before he felt her gentle touch on his arm. 

"I was thinking you got lost," her heavenly voice resembled soft chimes as it carried to his ears. 

"I did," he admitted. His blunt honesty earned him her merry laughter to brush against his ear. When she was done, she leaned her head against his shoulder and spoke her mind to him. "Seeing you here now... you make Sarada so happy. I wish you could have come home earlier, Sasuke-kun." 

He let her words wash over him and seep into his heart, stitching back together his invisible scars and healing wounds that would not fester atop his skin where it could be seen and treated with ease. He closed his eyes as he allowed himself to respond to her, giving her more than his silence. "I didn't know if you cared if I came back, I have a lot of regrets about that. I'm sorry... I'll try to come back when I can." 

He felt her hands rub against his arm soothingly, and somehow, at this moment, her touch was more comforting than any words she would have offered. As her fingers circled patterns onto his arm, he could almost hear her connected thoughts with him urging him to _Come to bed with me_ , and as her hand stopped its ministrations and squeezed his arm, it was one last moment of comfort before she left him to collect his thoughts. He looked at his angelic daughter, and over peaceful slumber once more before turning away. However, instead of pacing around for his wife, his feet took him out of the apartment and soon he found himself on top of the roof, staring into the white expanse of the moon that shone so brightly full of promises of new beginnings. His cloak which he had adorned himself in after his shower blew behind him and stretched out as if searching for its partner... And it was no sooner than it did, that the cloak's partner had found it, and a silky pink nightdress billowed softly against it. 

"You don't want to sleep?" he heard the figment of his deepest desires ask him. 

"Ah, I will... It's just... I want to enjoy the night a bit longer," he confessed. _With you._ He looked down and linked his fingers with hers and stroked his thumb over her knuckles. In the process of looking down he found that she was wearing pink fluffy slippers. His gaze trailed north until he found her green glimmers fixated on the moon as his once was. 

"I think I understand, Sasuke-kun. The way you look at the sun and think of me and Sarada... it's similar to how I look at the moon and think of you. But having you beside me feels different. I feel different... I feel whole. Is- is that what you feel too, Sasuke-kun?" she asked as her face tilted towards him. His eyes set back on the moon as he hummed back a reply. The moon had always been a witness to their most intimate moments, harbouring their secrets and pasting a scene of twinkling stars to illuminate their nights together.

"We did good, don't you think, Sasuke-kun? Our little Sarada left quite an impression on those Shin's," Sakura remarked, the smirk evident in her voice. 

Sasuke's brows furrowed. "It was all you. You raised her, so thank you."

She playfully slapped his arm. "Stop being so modest! It's not like you didn't help raise her whilst she was an infant! I couldn't do all those things without you, you know. From burping her, to taking responsibility for waking up at night, and to taking care of her when I resumed my shifts at the hospital... You've done so much, Sasuke-kun. Tch." 

He smiled down at her and couldn't help but think her pout was adorable, and so decided to tease her a bit. "Maybe so, but you've accomplished so much over the years I can barely recognise you now. From being one of the main war heroes to being known as the best medic... you've got a lot under your belt," he said, his eyes crinkling in amusement as she fought to feign annoyance. 

"I'm still the same Sakura Haru- I mean, Uchiha!"

"Exactly," he chuckled, as the silver moonlight graced his handsome features, casting a beautiful glow onto his perfectly chiselled face. "I don't think _you_ even know who you are anymore. The Kazekage speaks highly of you, as I'm sure the other Kages do if I cared to speak to them. Apparently you taught the Kazekage what love-"

"Enough!" she pouted, blushes adorning her cheeks. "Tonight I just want to be your wife..."

"Now who's being modest?" he asked with a brow raised and the corner of his lip tugged upwards as he looked down at her, enlivened with her confession. 

Sakura took his hand into both of hers and played with his fingers, opening and closing them, feeling his callused hand within her own. "But do you know what my biggest accomplishment is?" she whispered into the cool night, her blushes reddening with every word that tumbled out of her sultry lips. After half a minute of hearts beating in unison, she admitted her secret out loud. "...It's you."

"Me?" he wondered out loud.

She nodded meekly. "Making you happy," she whispered down to her feet. His gaze softened over her petite form, and he wondered how she could still dissolve into a puddle around him after several years of marriage and intimacy. But then again, wasn't he just the same? 

"Sakura..." the name rolled out, unbidden. Her name was a trance that had eloped with his tongue, and would now escape without command. The utterance of her name was imprinted into his heart, and nor could he help but allow the next words to escape his tongue without much thought being processed. "I love you." 

Her head whipped up to face him and tears threatened to fall against her will. "You're still a fool..." she choked up in half a whisper, her words mirroring her own from earlier that day.

"Ah, if I could be with you every night like this I would. I apologise, Sakura. For I know that I can never bring you peace, not really. If I had it my way, you and Sarada would be wherever I go" he told her, wishing he could stay by her side until their hairs turned grey. 

Sakura blinked back her tears and brought one hand to his jaw. "You don't have to worry. No matter where you go, Sasuke, my heart will find you. Because I belong to you. Because, I too, love you." She sealed her words with a kiss on his jaw. 

"Now who's the fool?"

"Maybe I'm a fool for loving you, but I'm your fool. Indeed, I've only ever fallen for you, Sasuke-kun." 

They are stark contrasts of each other; cold midnight and warm spring. It's a wonder that they are of the same being. Their bodies face towards the other, mirroring each other's movements until hands intertwine and lips meld together. As their body heat becomes one, and black and pink fade into each other, it's suddenly not so much of a question as to how their daughter came to being, how she is parts her father, and parts her mother. Because if you were to see them now, it would be pristine clear as to how their hearts are connected with the way they are mesmerized as they steal glances with half-lidded eyes.

Lips part away, and one split into two again. The trembling of her shoulders and the way she rubs her forearms with her dainty hands speak volumes of how she is not taking the night well. Sasuke unclasps his cloak and drapes it across her shoulders, and what is his becomes hers. Jet black is glittered with pink strands, and pink lips part to whisper a "Thank you", that is heard by the night sky, the moon once more becoming a witness to their nightly intricacies. 

The loving look she gives him holds emotive words that if she were to speak into existence, he is sure the sky would break asunder, and stars would collide forth onto the lands. For what she wants is for them to make sweet love under her warm blanket, and revel in each other's warmth. The waves crash forth onto land leaving nothing in it's wake; the stars seem to cease; and the endless growing spirals of the universe comes to a halt, leaving only Sasuke with his two girls, and somehow, with nothing else, with no breath escaping lips, with no sun streaking down to give birth to vegetation, that is enough for him. 

He looks down upon his wife and his mismatched eyes linger on every dip in her body, studies every curve that follows that is begging to be touched by his lone hand callused by sins and slaughter of men. He wants to memorize the way her body has changed over the years he has been absent, and he wants to, once again, lose himself within her grasp. Her touch. Her scent.

Her love.

Her.

For one crazy second, he wants to blow the world into destruction until all that is left is him and her, and nothing can come in between. But he is reminded by her breasts that beat with affection and her emerald eyes that glint with a smile that she hides from her lips, that that is not what she wants. And he is reminded that nor does he want that, as he is a changed man, and he has been for a number of years. But maybe what he could dream of is a life outside the village, away from all the commotions that their current lives bring. They would live in a cottage, and breathe in each other's love until they know of nothing else. They would wait for their daughter's weekly visits who would update them on the many changing tides of Konoha and they would continue training her in the art of the shinobi. They would be a family of three once again. And when their daughter would leave them, to return to her life as a respected kunoichi, they would be two lovers who only know of each other, waiting and watching as the other's strands transition into greys. He would hold her frail, old hands as she would sit in his lap with her head resting on his chest, whispering sweet love stories of their younger selves, a foolish attempt in turning back the time and making up for all those lost years... but they would be living in blissful harmony. And Sasuke's dreams would have come true.

But Sasuke comes to his senses with the sweet tender voice of his wife whispering, "Sasuke-kun?", and he blinks once. Twice. And she is no longer an old woman whose beauty only lingers in her heart and her eyes, but she is once again Sakura Uchiha - world renowned medic and a pillar of Konoha. Despite him wanting to spend the rest of his years with this magnificent woman who can turn his heart with a sleight of hand, he knows all too well he is still yet to make amends with their daughter. And it is there where his heart longs to go at this moment. For there cannot be peace in his life if his daughter's heart is full of resentment. He understands that now.

His hand finds her jaw and he strokes it delicately, as if he were to hold her firmly, then she would crumble at his touch. He bends his neck further down until foreheads touch and tips of noses brush against each other. "Sakura..." he whispers to her, not wanting the night sky to divulge into their secrets. "We'll have more time together... I promise. But for now, I want to spend as much time with Sarada as I can. Is that okay?" The low timber of his voice is akin to velvety sandpaper, if there was even such an existence. The low tone of his voice is a juxtaposition that leaves his wife trembling at the knees. She desperately needs to hold onto something at the fear of falling, and so she latches onto his wrist and whispers back, "That's fine, Sasuke-kun. You don't need to worry. Go to her." 

But even with her permission he still finds it hard to part from her, and he feels the need to relieve the sharp sexual tension in one way or another. So he leans further into her until lips brush and he hushes into her mouth, "Next time I come home, I'll give you all of me." He finishes his sentence with a smirk that she can _feel_ as their lips are so close, but before she can close the gap he moves away and flashes his _sharingan_ at her, and leaves her on the rooftop entranced by his deepest desires as she falls to her knees, covered by his cloak. 

~

He can't seem to find a place to settle in. From walking around the house, to staring up at the moonlit night, to being by his daughter's side as she finds tranquillity through slumber, Sasuke finds it difficult to find his place within the family. With so many absent years between him and his child, how can he even start the process of mending her fragile heart? How can he swoop in and save the day whilst knowing that his stays are infrequent despite his love for her being boundless? Who is he to her and what does she know of him? For to him, she is a blanket of stars that wink promises of a brighter future when he is feeling at his lowest. She is his reminder that better things are to come, whether he will live to see them or not, he will be sure that he will be the one to forge them. Like a thread, he knows the most to happiness he can give his family is by weaving in and out of their lives, and so it is with this thought, he settles into Sarada's armchair in her bedroom and watches her sleep. 

It is before dawn creeps into the sky, inch by inch, one colour at a time through its reds, oranges, pinks and yellows, that Sasuke takes himself towards his wife's bedroom. He finds her beneath the blanket, and when he pushes that away, he finds her draped in his cloak from the night before. The mattress dips slightly as more weight is garnered. A hand sifts through pink locks that are soft as silk, and it stays in between the forest of lush as the man beside her finally allows himself to be bathed in sweet dreams full of cherry blossoms and night tulips. 

***

Hours flitter on until the sunlight is creeping through the slits of the curtains and makes it way onto a handsome man who has barely rested. His skin becomes almost golden under the heavenly light, and his eyes take a peek around him before adjusting to his surroundings. He takes in the flowing red dresses sneaking out of the oak cupboard, and the daffodils placed by the windowsill. Sasuke's gaze flits around the room, and it is only when his eyes journey back to the bed does he realise that he is alone. He makes note of his cloak carefully folded onto the pillow beside his head, and makes the bed after kicking the blanket off his form. It is when he is stepping outside of the bedroom door that he hears the murmurs from the kitchen. 

"Mama, you look especially flushed... You should really calm yourself down before presenting yourself to your daughter, you know?" he hears the snide remark of his pre-teen daughter. 

"Eh-eh?! Don't tease your mother, Sarada! Besides, your Papa slept in the chair in your room for most of the night."

"Huh? -Oh, Papa!" Sarada's eyes gleam with happiness as he presents himself to his family. "Good morning, did you sleep well, Papa?" 

Sasuke hums back a response, neither confirming nor denying how well he slept. 

It was as Sakura brought him breakfast with black coffee paired with toast and eggs that Sarada once again attempted to strike up a conversation. "Mama said you slept in my room for a bit. I'm not a baby, you know. You don't have to put me to sleep..." Sasuke looked at his wife for confirmation for whether their daughter was really irritated or whether she was actually delighted at the prospect. Sakura smiled warmly at Sasuke, indicating the answer to his unspoken question. It seemed that the more he spent time with Sarada, the more he learned what parts of her were like him: she found it apt to hide her true feelings. 

"It's a habit," he offered as an apology, all the while regarding her warmly. 

"A habit?" Sarada parroted. 

"Ah, your Papa here was always fond of putting you to sleep. He was insistent at doing so when you were only a couple weeks old," Sakura elaborated, taking her seat opposite Sasuke. 

Sasuke watched Sarada's face in amusement as she absorbed this new bit of information. The rest of the breakfast was eaten in silence. The ramblings from last night's dinner had worn off, leaving the family to inspect each other through glances of each other's body language. It is when wood squeaks against tiles as Sarada pushes herself out of her chair, that Sasuke's voice halts her movements. 

"Sarada," he speaks, ever so gently. "What would you like to do today?" 

He inspects every contortion of her face, as her muscles pull together to form twitches, silent gasps, and eventually a small smile. 

"I... I know what I want," she says, as she holds her plate and toes the tiles with her foot. "I was thinking back to the last few days, and I realised, I want to take a family photo... With you in it, I mean." Her eyes flick back and forth until they force to meet his face. 

Sakura interjects with a sharp inhale and then, "I don't know if your Papa-"

"Let's do it," Sasuke agrees, observing gaiety blossoming in his daughter's eyes. In order to avoid lunges of hugs and kisses from his wife, Sasuke makes his escape into the bedroom to get ready for the day. 

***

The day is filled with merry smiles and hearts aflutter. Happiness is seeped into their bones until it leaves a chill that tingles the skin all over. For the first time in what seemed like forever, his heart and mind were at peace, with no expectations upon him to hunt, and no men for him to scrutinise, Sasuke basked in the sunlight of his wife and daughter's smiles and cheery laughs to embrace him. His defences were down, and he did not care for who saw his smile, for he was with his family, and all was right with the world. 

As their photo is taken, the three of them then decide to stroll throughout the village, making new memories. Sakura fills the silences with her anecdotes of how once upon a time, a younger Sarada and her Papa waited in line for noodles, or how her Papa would watch fondly as Sarada chased two cats. The moments that Sakura did not speak, Sasuke found himself reminiscing of simpler times of when he took his small family to the beach, where happiness was as natural as the sun, and second nature to them. He remembered feeling blissful harmony as the waves crashed onto their feet; as they drew their names into the sand with sticks; as they competed in building sandcastles, and then would hear Sarada shrieking in delight when they would crumble to dust to only make new ones. He remembered how her tiny face would light up with hues of pinks and purples under the night of a hundred fireworks as they lit up the sky, and how her mouth would lay agape. He remembers covering her face with his sleeve as he would steal a kiss from her mother under the twinkling stars, and smirk at her when she was left flushed and unable to form proper sentences. 

They sit upon the Seventh Hokage's stone face, enjoying a picnic filled with tomato salad sandwiches and rice balls. It is whilst Sasuke is reminiscing of times lost in the waves that took their secrets and gave them sea shells in offering, that he is drawn from his thoughts with a single utterance. 

"Papa?" 

He looks down to find his beloved daughter, seated between himself and her mother, staring back at him as she analyses his form. "What are you thinking about?" she asks him, curious as ever. 

"The beach," he simply responds. 

Her brows thread together in confusion and her lips form a pout as she is left unsatisfied with his answer. A chime of laughter draws both of their attention to the beauty who sits beside them. "Oh, Sarada," Sakura smiles. "Your Papa is a man of a few words with most people... What he means is, he's remembering a time when he took us to the beach to celebrate our joint birthdays." 

Sarada looks sceptical at her mother and then turns towards her father with a critical eye. "Is that true?" 

"Ah," he confirms. 

Bewildered, Sarada sighs and shakes her head. "I don't get you two. How can you understand each other with such few words?" she interrogates. 

Sasuke's face contradicts itself as he frowns whilst smiling, a troubled look passing across his face. His fingers reach the corners of Sarada's mouth, and he dusts off the bread crumbs that have found home on her lips. "You'll understand one day," he promises, unsure if this promise can actually ever be kept. 

As his onyx eye locks with his wife's for a split second, he hears their daughter mumble, "You're both weird." Words that are reminiscent of a younger Sarada, as she scrutinised her Papa for biting her Mama. 

With so much history between the two, a single glance or a few words are sometimes enough for them to communicate with the other when in public. When alone, Sasuke bares his all to Sakura: from tainted pasts to sweet moments of bliss. Sakura knows every intricate detail of him, like a diamond, she can trace every sharp edge to its root with her eyes closed and not feel the pain as the vertices cut and prickle her until she bleeds. For all she sees is a diamond sparkling, reflecting the light in her eyes, as she sees past all his misdeeds. 

As the sun lowers itself from its peak, the Uchiha family find themselves journeying towards the end of their day together. A pit stop is taken at home where Sakura busies herself in the kitchen, placing the leftovers in a bento box cradled with a cloth labelled with the Uchiha crest, away from her husband and daughter, as she gives them some space to be with each other. 

They wait outside the apartment for Sakura, and Sarada once again demands Sasuke's attention with a question. 

"Papa, what do you think of Mama?" 

The question startles him, leaves him at a loss for words. The question is a result of years long lost and doubts still lingering. He is unsure of how to answer, how much to indulge to their daughter as his own father never spoke of his mother, but then again, all his father ever spoke of was his late brother Itachi. Sasuke had long ago decided that he did not want to be a father that reflected his own, and so he answered her in a way that he hoped would leave little room for doubt whilst also not revealing anything else more. 

"She's a good woman," he finally said, after moments of silence. 

He catches the slight frown on his daughter's face, but before she can hope to press on, her mother manifests from the flat and grins at them both, as she beckons them onwards. 

The pressing of the sun's warmth as it bestows its grace upon them is evident, and the aroma of flowers surrounds them with harmony. Birds chirp a merry tune and laughter of young children floats up into the air, and all that can be heard is pure bliss, and nothing more, nothing less. Their feet reach to a stop when they are metres outside the village gates. Sasuke bends down slightly as his daughter stands before him, her mother slightly behind. 

"When will you be home next?" she asks languidly, a slight waver in her voice. 

His face softens at her words, knowing the fear behind her face as she believes that once he leaves, he will never return. But he is intent on not making that fear a reality. However, nor does he know when he can return, and so no answer is spoken. 

But that silence gives her all the answers she needs, and sulks as her lips pull together in a desperate attempt to not break into tears as her mother has done in the past multiple times over the same man. Sasuke understands her body language that is a pure reflection of her mothers, and so he does what he can to ease that suffering: he straightens himself to only step closer, and puts his hand on her shoulder as he draws her closer into a tight embrace. Across from him, he sees Sakura watching over them warmly, as she too, softens at the sight of them. 

As he finally draws away, his back bent so his face is level with his daughter's, she speaks his name. "Papa..." she calls, the tremble even more evident than before. 

He slightly pushes her away so she can look at him properly as he tells her, "Don't make such a sad face." His smile is kind and affectionate as he looks down upon her. In some ways, she reminds him of himself as a young child who desperately wanted his older brother's vying attention. In other ways, he is reminded of a younger Sakura asking timidly if she could join him on his journey of redemption. And so with those memories dancing in his mind, he brings two fingers forth and taps her on the forehead lightly. 

"Till next time," he vows. 

The tears that have finally formed in her eyes threaten to break through, and a gasp escapes her lips as her cheeks are tinted in red. As she comes to her senses and feels the lingering touch of her forehead, they both look towards Sakura - smiles adorned on each of their faces. 

And it is then that he is reminded of a moment from the past that warmed his heart during the coldest of nights: 

_"Sarada finally asked about me kissing you!" she blurted out._

_"What... did you say?" he asked slowly, wary of her answer._

_She brought out her index and middle finger out and poked him in the forehead with a wide grin._

The memory that he shares with Sakura and another that is shared between herself and Sarada evidently flits through her, as she adorns a grin with a graceful blush. 

Sakura steps forward and brings her hands from behind her to gift him with a packed lunch he had not noticed were in her hands before. 

"Here's your lunch," she chimes. 

"Ah," he says as he takes the boxed lunch from her hand. 

She gestures her head a little bit closer, and the blush reappears, if a bit more prominent. It is a gesture he is all too familiar with, and he blinks at her, leaving his lips parted as is he left speechless at the prospect that she would be willing to steal a kiss from him in front of their daughter. Without words, she emphasises her point as her eyes flicker left to right expectantly, waiting for the moment of contact for him too to lean in close, and seal their lips together like a promise unspoken. He is reminded of a time - a day after their wedding - when she had waited for a kiss in public, but pouted when he left her with a poke on the forehead instead. His eyes crinkled at the memory, and he felt the sudden urge to tease her once again. 

He abruptly turned around with a, "See you... I'm gonna get going." 

He heard behind him a deflated whine that left the sultry lips of the woman he refused to kiss. "Just a raincheck for me?! Shannaro..." 

A whimsical self-satisfied smirk played along his lips at the sound of her defeat, but he would hold onto his promise. Next time he arrives home, he would whisk her away into a land full of bliss and sweet nothings until all she can utter from those intoxicating lips of hers are every formation of his name. 

Sasuke journeyed back to the Land of Waterfalls, and with every step he took away from home, he was reminded of the events from the last two days. It was thanks to Sarada's stubbornness that he had been able to forge ties with his family, and rekindle flames he had left to wither away in his absence. 

The new memories that had bloomed he would keep them close to heart... until next time. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm planning the last chapter to be snapshots of different parts of Uchiha family's life together... will that be the next chapter? I don't know! Let's find out together. :) 
> 
> Sasuke removing food from Sarada's mouth is canon! It happens in one of Sasuke's novels. It's so cute, honestly.
> 
> Please leave a comment. What did you think? 


	25. Cosmos

As the burning embers of the twilight sky simmered away until it transcended into the deep blue of the night, with only the glow of the moon and a thousand lights guiding the way, Sasuke looked up at the sky wherever he went, and knew that pink would flutter in the breeze as emerald tilted itself up to meet the blanket of stars as a smile graced its beautiful face. And just from that one look at the heavens, the myriad of constellations would confirm that their hearts still beat as one, no wonder where they were, nor how far apart. It had been like that for a number of years previously, too. But now, Sasuke knew, that when those emerald eyes looked up at the sky, a third pair of eyes - onyx - would follow her mother's gaze and wonder how the love between her two parents blossomed, and how it was still kindled after all these long years. But Sasuke and Sakura were confident of their love for each other, and that was all that mattered. With time, Sakura was sure that their daughter would come to understand how love can bloom in the quiet of darkness and the whisperings at night, but for now, there was no time nor space for that type of understanding, as Sasuke had still not returned after his reunion with his family. 

It was another two birthdays missed. His wife's and daughter's.

It was another one of his gone uncelebrated. 

Another anniversary not spent together. 

Just a pang of longingness. And sometimes loneliness. 

But as fate would have it, Sasuke had found his feet setting towards Konoha again after finally tearing through dimensions and after over a decade of dead ends and misleads, he had come into contact with members of the Otsutsuki clan. Their piercing  _ byakugans _ were a fair match for his mismatched blood red and purple vortex eye. But with just a single thread of hair out of place, Sasuke had managed to escape their clutches without fail, and with a scroll that could not even be deciphered with his  _ rinnengan,  _ nor with the information gathered by the Root scroll which Naruto had delivered to him months ago. 

In that short time span that he had gone, Sasuke had discovered that already, so much had changed. Sarada was no longer an Academy student, but a  _ genin _ in her own right, about to participate in the  _ chunin _ exams... this had meant that Sasuke had already missed out on an important part of her life - her youthful  _ genin _ days. Sasuke found himself reflecting back to his own days full of life and laughter with his two teammates who meant so much to him back then... and now were two beams of light that filled his life with warmth and love. Reminiscing was bittersweet for Sasuke, for he knew that their  _ genin _ days together came to an abrupt end due to his defection of Konoha, in search for power... and it was that fateful night that still seamlessly visited him late at night in his dreams, in the whisperings of the stars at night. 

It was the silent cries of the clouds that reminded him of her tears that poured into his skin as she held him when he allowed the curse mark to almost fully consume him that first time. It was the cloaks of birds that reminded him of her feather-light touches, and the wind which would carry her voice to him in the ripples of the water. Just like the long years that had preceded him, her being was evident no matter where he went, and he would find himself being forever grateful for the love she had harboured for him from even during a time when he could not fully comprehend romantic love, for he had been clouded with a lust for revenge and hatred at his older brother. And so it was that knowledge that his own daughter was partaking in the  _ chunin _ exams that made him feel as if he was repeating the same mistakes: it was a different plain, but the path lead towards the same destination as his past sins. Just like his lover, he was destined to miss out on watching his own kin bloom into a beautiful flower as her strength flourished and blossomed. The younger, feminine reflection of him may have had the same idea as a noise struck between a strained gasp and a choke escaped her throat as she opened the door to the apartment to him. 

He had been walking around in circles wandering around trying to locate the home of his family, he had even double checked one of the notes that he had not incinerated which held the address Sakura had given him years ago, after she had forgiven him for deciding to not be a part of Sarada's life. Eventually Sasuke had given up, and to his shame, he had retreated to the Seventh Hokage to ask for the address of where his wife and daughter resided. 

_ "Hehe, you know, this brings back the time when we were practising tree climbing and you choked on your own words trying to ask for the advice Sakura gave me," Naruto teased.  _

_ "I didn't- ", Sasuke sighed. "Forget it. Just tell me the address. Don't make me beat it out of you." _

_ Sasuke frowned as Naruto rummaged through his desks trying to locate a diary or a scrap piece of paper. "Were you too in awe of Sakura and Sarada when you got there the first time that you didn't pay attention to where you were going?" Naruto chuckled. "I guess Sakura really always was a distraction to you, huh?"  _

_ Sasuke glowered down at the Hokage, but his menacing glare did nothing to his old friend who was used to be on receiving end of these death stares. The truth of Naruto's words hit him in full force. Sasuke took the note with the address and and burned it into himself with his  _ sharingan _ , before making his way to the apartment. _

Sasuke watched his daughter's mouth fall open as he heard the soft cadence of "What's the matter?" leave the lips of the woman whose true abode rested in his heart. When the rosette came into full view of him though, her green orbs widened into full moons, and her speech crumbled into stutters as she struggled to even voice his name: "Sa-Sa-!" It was evident that his presence alone reminded her of his promise to her - that the next time he would come home, the last  _ genjutsu _ dream he had put her in would be made into a reality; she would be able to feel every fibre of his body, and him, her. 

Sasuke thought it would best to ease the tension, before his darling wife gave away her thoughts to their innocent child. 

"I'm home..." was all that was needed to be said, before Sakura collapsed onto the floor. 

"Mama!" Sarada yelped, probably even more startled by her mother's reaction than her estranged father finally returning home after months of their reunion. 

Sasuke bent down and and placed his satchel down next to the two female pair of shoes and scooped up Sakura in his lone arm. Before he could take a step however, he felt a tug on his left sleeve, and he looked down to find his child looking up at him, as she worried on her lip. 

"Will Mama be okay?" she asked. 

Her concern was reminiscent of Sakura, and he couldn't help but smile down at her. 

"She'll be fine," he spoke, tenderly. She nodded at her Papa, and then smiled cheekily. "Was Mama always like this?" 

Sasuke's smile transformed into a smirk as he responded with, "Always." 

Sasuke trailed after Sarada as she led him towards the living room and he gently dropped Sakura onto the new blue couch. She was still conscious, muttering his name affectionately, and he had half the mind of kissing away her drunken state for him away. But he was snapped out of his desires by his daughter looking at him curiously, like one of his hawks he would summon in the battlefield. 

He gingerly got up and padded back to the front door to hang up his cloak, and place his sandals neatly beside his wife's. As he was walking back, he heard Sarada taunting her dazed mother for collapsing so suddenly due to the unexpected occurrence of Papa coming home. Sasuke kneeled beside Sarada, giving her his full attention. As soon as Sasuke was by her side, she eagerly took in the attention he was offering, as if she had been starved of it her entire life, which was not far from the truth, Sasuke surmised. 

"So how long are you staying this time?" she asked, hopeful. Her words not hiding any sliver of excitement, just like her mother. 

Sasuke studied her for a moment, before informing her, "Until your  _ chunin _ exams are over". The sight of his daughter looking at him in awe as she planted her hand onto her cheek warmed him like no daylight ever could. 

"I just met Naruto's son earlier," he informed his daughter, curious as to what sort of relationship had been sparked between her and him. Were they more like himself and Naruto once were? Or more like himself and Sakura? The idea of either scared him, but without his influence, surely they had both grown with the will of fire burning in their guts, having parents such as Sakura and his best friend, Naruto. However, for the life of him, he still couldn't remember the younger dork's name...

"Boruto?"  _ That's it. _

"He said he wanted to become my student," Sasuke confided in her, a frown etching his features. He was sure he was incompetent at being any sort of master - he had enough experience when he was trying to make amends with Konoha after his redemption journey, and all it taught him was that he could never be a proper Sensei. 

"He might be a bit eccentric for you, Papa..." Sarada admitted about her childhood friend and teammate. "But, he is in Team 7 like me, so I suppose any little training will help." 

"Team 7, huh?" he asked, his frown becoming into a sort of amusing smile. 

Sarada's eyes lit up at his sparked interest. "Hai! It's no secret that Papa, Mama and Lord Seventh were part of the legendary Team 7, so me and Boruto fought against a  _ chunin _ to change our Team's name!" 

Sasuke ruffled Sarada's hair and kissed her on her brow at her confession. When he looked at her again, he noticed her cheeks were tinted red. She resembled her mother so much. 

"You should get to bed. You'll need it," he softly told her. He watched her fondly as she squeaked a "Goodnight, Papa", delivered a kiss on her mother's brow, and then watched as her figure dissolved away into the landing. 

With Sarada gone, and Sasuke safely alone with his wife, he looked down upon her and admired how she still wore the same apron after so many long years. No matter what that apron had been put up with, it still looked shiny and new, and it was all down to her, for caring for it, just like she did with everything else. Just like she did for Sarada. Just like she did for their love. Due to her nurturing of their love, whenever they saw the other, they couldn't help but melt into a heap of adoration, although Sasuke was better at hiding it when around others. He took one last look at his wife before he hoisted himself up and brewed some tea for himself and the semi-conscious beauty. 

He sat on the armrest beside her head and watched as she slowly but surely stirred back into a more sober state. She sat up and looked around, and when she finally noticed the presence looming beside her she flushed a pretty pink. "Sa-Sasuke-kun! I- I'm sorry, I just..." Her emerald orbs flickered to her hands in her lap as she shielded her face with her hair in embarrassment. 

"I know," he smiled warmly at her, whilst handing her her cup of tea, which earned him a muttered, "Thank you," in response. "You could have hid it better though", he pointed out.

Her head snapped towards him and she spurted out, "You didn't give me any notice!" The sight of her wide eyes and her pout churned out a chuckle from him, before he placed his cup down and put his hand on her elbow. 

"I've missed you," he whispered, verbalising the ministrations of his heart. 

Her hooded eyelids regarded his lips, as she whispered back, "Isn't Sarada around? It isn't like you to act like this..."

"You think I'd be this close to you if she were?"

She hummed back in agreement to his logic, and allowed her head to nestle against his hardened chest, against his warmth. "I've missed you too, darling," she confessed as as arm embraced his knee. 

They sat like that together, just enjoying each other's company in the stillness of the night. Sasuke allowed his fingers to sift through her hair, allowing the shortness of it to tell a story of its own. He knew that she cut her hair so it would not obstruct her vision when she was at work, for no hair could be it out of place when she was dealing with the life of another. His fingers then snaked downwards until it found her right hand, and he held into place around the cup's handle. These hands were his pride, and touching them reminded him of how she had healed him physically numerous amounts of times, even times when he was sure he did not deserve it. And it was those physical healings that had manifested into emotional healing. 

Sasuke ungripped her hands from the cup and turned it around before bringing it up towards his lips. He kissed every fingertip, ensuring that she knew what each kiss meant. 

_ I love you. _

_ Thank you. _

_ You are my everything.  _

_ You are my light.  _

_ You make life worth living. _

When he was done, he planted a deep kiss on the inside of her wrist, just above her bangle, allowing a gasp to escape her lips. His eyes were closed as he did so, and they languidly opened to her reaction. 

Within a second, a hand slipped away, the heat of another body was gone, and she was walking behind the couch, forcing him to crane his head to look at the Uchiha insignia sewn on her back. 

"What's wrong?" he asked. 

"I'm making you dinner," she said dismissively. He watched her walk towards the stove and then freeze in her tracks. He narrowed his eyes as she slowly turned her head to meet his as a sweat drop descended from her forehead as she raised her hands apologetically. "I just remembered... I ate the last of the pickled tomatoes... like ten minutes before you arrived..."

Sasuke hopped over the couch and landed in front of her. "Well that just won't do, will it?" 

The weight of him leaned against her until she was trapped between him and the stove. His hand raised slightly until it landed on her cheek, and his face manouvered closely. 

"Wh-what are you doing?" a strained whisper left her dainty lips. 

"What does it look like? Taking what's mine of course." 

His lips closed over hers, and it was through that contact that he felt close to her. Their lips moved in sync with each other, and it was as if his lips belonged there, and there was no reason to part from its abode. Her lips were soft, like butterfly wings that slowly part then close together; they were soft and other-worldly, and the feel of her against him, and the way her hands locked around his neck only urged him to delve further. At some point, his hand had left her face, and it had trailed to her waist, and then to her back. He untied her apron with the dexterity of his one hand and then hurled it across the room like a shuriken. In one swift stroke, he hoisted her up and planted her on top of the table top beside the stove. It was then that their lips finally parted, and when he went to continue their dance she forged a barrier with her hand on his face and said, "We can't."

"I thought this was what you wanted, no?" 

Hushed voices. Electrifying tension. Skin tingling at a mere touch. 

"N-not here. S-Sarada might find us."

He pushed her hand away and went to kiss her anyway. 

"I'm not done yet." He drew one breath, and then another. In the second, he said, "And besides, that's my line." 

A hand on a chest. And a shove. 

Sasuke hurled backwards and blinked. Once. Twice more. 

Sakura jumped down and picked up her apron before folding it over the oven's handle. "I'm not yours to take, Sasuke. Sure, I'm your wife, but, I'm still my own woman."

A snort of amusement blew from Sasuke's nose. "That you are,  _ my wife _ . But I was talking about the tomato."

Sakura looked at her husband in bewilderment. "What?"

"You ate my tomato. So I simply wanted a taste of it." Shades of red washed over Sakura's face, until she herself resembled a bright, red tomato. 

"You're such a tease," she mumbled. She then turned around to the stove again and continued to heat up the left over food, which to Sasuke's dismay, did not contain tomatoes. "Anyway, you must be hungry. Let me make you dinner first," she announced. 

Sasuke watched her work as he rested his hand in his trouser pocket. "Hn. You're right, I am hungry. But I think I'll prefer to have my dinner in bed since you won't let me have it here," his voice was dangerously low, and Sakura jumped as his voice dripped sensually in pleasure near her lobe. He had prowled up to her as silently as a nimble cat, and she had not noticed his closeness behind her. Before Sakura could turn around and reprimand him once more, he escaped into the bedroom, leaving a poof of smoke in her wake. 

It was another twenty minutes before she arrived with a tray full of two grilled chicken skewers and a bowl of  _ sashimi,  _ complete with a glass of water. Sasuke sat up on the double bed, one knee propped up with his arm hanging off it as his eyes followed Sakura's movements of locking the door and then sitting on the bed, perpendicular to him. 

"That's a bit much for one, isn't it?" he observed. 

"Well, I can't tell for sure if you're taking care of yourself when you're away from me, so I can only do what I can when you're here with me," she told him, her voice sounding almost forlorn and distant at her revelation as she stared into the bowl of raw fish decorated with soy sauce. 

He couldn't help but admire his dutiful wife and her exquisite features. He cupped her cheek and forced her to look him in the eyes. "You know you don't have to do anything extra to appease me," he told her lovingly.  _ Just you being you is enough. _

"Ah, I know, Sasuke-kun. But I want to," she smiled at him with her last words, and he swore his heart caught in his throat at the sight of her. 

She gently moved his hand away, and then proceeded to feed him the chicken skewers, all the while humming in delight, as if she was the one who was being fed the delectable food. 

"You're really enjoying this, aren't you?" he teased, a smirk playing atop his well-crafted face. 

"Of course! It's not everyday I get to treat my husband," Sakura giggled in response. "Huh, wait, are you not enjoying it?" Her brows furrowed, causing unwanted creases to form on her beautiful forehead. 

Sasuke pulled Sakura onto his lap, leaving Sakura stunned as he proceeded to feed her the  _ sashimi _ with chopsticks. "Now I am," he whispered seductively into her ear. He didn't fail to notice the blush that crept upon her creamy skin, and it was while he was lost staring at her that a drop of brown sauce dripped onto her right shoulder. 

"Sorry," was what he muttered before he licked the sauce off her shoulder. Sakura shuddered beneath his touch, which only encouraged him further to suck on her skin, and eventually leave his mark in the form of a purple bruise. 

The sound of the clatter of cutlery falling onto the wooden floorboards was the last thing he heard before he found himself pinned onto the bed by a seductress who left no room for rejection. And it was then that they once again found themselves in a familiar dance, once they had performed many times throughout the years - their figures fall into a natural rhythm set by their intoxicated states and desperation for one another. Although this dance did not just include the fine manouvers of their tongues like earlier, but included every parts of their beings synchronising into one. The heat of each other's bodies clung together; they desperately fought together to keep the moans and pants as low as possible, fearing to be heard by their offspring. Strands of black and pink hair entwined together on pillows as the rest of their skin found serenity by the closeness of their bodies meeting once again. He was overwhelmed with pleasure, and more so of the strong bonds of love that connected the two of them. Through body and soul, through and through, in every way possible, there were invisible strings keeping the two linked, and it was through these acts of intimacy that Sakura's love was made tangible to Sasuke. He could  _ feel _ her in every way possible, and he was certain it was the same for her, as she told him so in their whispers of love beneath bed sheets. And as always, it is her plain nakedness that paints the world for him - he is sure that she holds the palette to all the world's colours, and it is her that is graceful and benevolent enough to give away some of her glow to the rest of the world that would otherwise be starved without it. And even by giving away some of her beauty, whether that be her compassionate nature or her physique, she still remains the personification of beauty. 

And it is while he is still starstruck by her naked form that she looks down at him and smiles with a look that could break hearts and says, "I really am the most luckiest person alive." How wrong is she. For he is convinced that it is him that that title belongs to. 

Moments later they cuddle together and whisper loving words to each other and trade secrets of his journeys and of her escapades around the village, and it is at the end of their conversation that he tells her, "We'll talk more next time. Sleep now, my love." 

She yawns and asks, "But when is next time, my dear?"

"Tomorrow night. And the night after that."

A smile that never left grows wider and she drowsily asks, "Is that really true?"

"I told Sarada as much. But I'll be busy during the day. But for you, my nights will be free." 

"I'll like that..." she murmured before drifting off to sleep, her pink hair tickling his chin and her head nestled against his beating heart that only spoke of her. 

***

The world was alight with a red canvas painting the sky; the strokes of the morning sun reached far across the lands until nothing could escape it's blessing of a new day. A raven haired man stood in the wilderness, looking up as the pink clouds kissed the blue sky, and he shared his own secret smile with the intimate gesture he had just witnessed between the clouds and the sky. The clouds would drift seamlessly, and alternate it's colours based on whatever it passed, and the sky too would alternate in a similar fashion - they orchestrated the same play, and although they were of different parts of the cosmos, it was hard to imagine one without the other. They were parts of each other, and so would work accordingly so. And just like the clouds and the sky, Sasuke would drift from one place to another, alternating his colours, but the sky would remain a constant, and he knew it -  _ she - _ would be there when he returned. 

Peace was disrupted by the complaints of his new student - Boruto was his name. Like Sarada, his father's genes were the stronger of the two, but if you inspected closely, you would find that Boruto had a few of Hinata's features, such as her face shape. Listening to Boruto speak of his father like he did had Sasuke reflecting on his own relationship with his daughter - how much did she still resent him? Would there ever be a time when she would truly forgive him? Was he even deserving of her forgiveness? He resigned to his feelings and concluded that there was not much he deserved, but fate had given him a second chance at life: a friend, a lover, and a daughter. He would make the most of it, in whatever way he could, that was of a certainty - and so when Sarada would attempt to seek him out to inherit the Uchiha techniques, he would make his presence known to her, making her think that she had found him on her own. It was reminiscent of when Sasuke would play hide and seek with a younger Sarada, allowing her to find him, but also allowing her to revel in her glory of finding him with her own skills. But so much of Sasuke's time was split between training and lecturing Boruto, and deciphering scrolls with Naruto and sharing intel with the other Kages, that by the time he ventured home, it would be way past into the night, where only the stars were awake to greet him home. 

He would drift into the bedroom like a shadow in the night, and attempt to lurk soundlessly under the sheets, but without fail, Sakura would always stir and kiss some part of his body or another, almost as if it was a silent  _ "Welcome home" _ . He would try to lull her back to sleep with a forehead poke, or a kiss of his own, but she would fight it, and they would either speak their minds or with the intertwining of their bodies. And it was one way or another that he had found out that Sarada had passed the first two rounds of her  _ chunin _ exams. It was most creative the way Sasuke showed his gratitude towards Sakura for her parental skills -  _ falling deep into each other's lusts causing scratch marks to surface upon hardened skins and pleasurable noises to fall out of lips _ . 

He would leave before the sun rose. His goodbyes would often be felt with a knuckle stroking her bruised lips that he had assaulted hours prior. 

***

"Boruto doesn't regard you very highly," Sasuke once informed the poor man who was known to the world as the heroic Seventh Hokage, but to himself and his wife as the foolish best friend  _ who made miracles happen.  _

Naruto grunted in agreement through his stacks of paperwork that sat before him on his desk. "But he's taken a liking to you, I see," the blonde dork chuckled, his eyebags ageing him years exceeding their former sensei. Sasuke could almost hear beyond the unobtrusive remark and understand the unspoken question:  _ Does my relationship with my child scare you about your relationship with yours? _

"I'll continue overseeing his training," Sasuke assured.  _ Thank you for overseeing Sarada's childhood _ . 

"Heh, thanks Sasuke. I know he can be a bit of a handful, but he has his moments..."

"No. He's as annoying as you," Sasuke delivered with a deadpanned face, causing the Hokage to bristle at his words and a flux of emotions pass over his friend's face. Sasuke turned and left the office. In his heart, he knew that because Boruto was in a few ways like his father, it meant that he was a good kid, and it was that thought that imprinted a small smile on Sasuke's face. 

But those endearing thoughts about his student did nothing to soothe his worries over his own relationship with his daughter. At times he felt relief when he did not have the time to seek her out and spend time with her, as there were still so many unresolved feelings to unpack, and time was of the essence as it was any day now that the Otsutsuki's could trace Sasuke's trail back to their own realm through the myriad of dimensions and portals that Sasuke had unravelled. There was too much at stake, and as much as a part of him wanted nothing more than to rebuild a solid relationship with his daughter, that was not his priority as of yet. And so it goes, that him and his daughter were still but mere strangers to each other; they were only ghosts of the other's memories, and Sasuke couldn't help but make his interactions with her feeling nothing beyond awkward. 

But the most minuscule of moments could have a large impact at bringing father and daughter closer; it was the moment that he had realised that the original  _ byakugan _ wielders had made his daughter their target that Sasuke had intervened and made sure that she was out of harms way. He lost everything once, and he would tear up the sky until all was left were the particles of the cosmos before he let anything harm his precious daughter. For that very reason, he did not task her with the burden of joining himself, Boruto and the Kages in going after the other-worldly beings. Instead, to ensure she understood that he recognised her strength, he imparted with her the importance of the  _ sharingan,  _ and how she could be of use to her village if the need ever came to pass. The longing look in her eyes as she pleaded up at him to take her with him reminded of all the times Sakura had asked the same thing too... and also of the conversation he had with Sakura only a few nights before:

_ Sasuke had sauntered into the bedroom to find Sakura feigning sleep dressed in her nightgown. As soon as he sat upon the bed her hand slunk around his wrist and she kissed his index finger.  _

_ "You're awake," he observed.  _

_ "I can't sleep knowing you're so close by, but not beside me," she murmured into his palm as she nuzzled her cheek into it.  _

_ "It's 4am. Your shift starts at 6." _

_ "So? Come home earlier if you're so concerned."  _

_ Sasuke sighed. "You know that's not up to me. I have to-" _

_ Sakura raised a finger to his lip to silence him. "I know, I'm just teasing." But then her half-lidded eyes opened fully and she removed herself from him and propped herself up on an elbow. "But... Sarada... she still doesn't get it. She's been asking of you. She..." Sasuke noticed how her words faltered and how her gaze left his, unable to speak her worries.  _

_ "Tell me," he prompted.  _

_ "She still wishes you were home... As in, she wishes you could spend more time with her."  _

_ Sasuke looked at his feet as he felt the patches of the small bonds he had forged with his daughter come undone. Those days where she would find him and coax him into teaching her the fireball  _ jutsu _ unravelled before his eyes, as if every little gesture was not enough. She deserved a better father, but all she had was him.  _

_ "I know it's hard for you Sasuke," the touch of her palm against his clothed back tensed his muscles for a split second, before his body welcomed her touch as it was compelled to do. "But you might need to work a bit harder in ensuring she knows she's loved... She doesn't know you like I do. Let her take the lead if need be." Sakura rested her chin on Sasuke's shoulder.  _

_ "I have... I've been training her here and there," he admitted.  _

_ "Hmm... she said. See, you can do it..." her voice ran sluggishly as the drowsiness overtook her. "But, just know that I'll be here. For both of you". Sasuke felt the weight of Sakura as her sleep engulfed her and dragged her to the world of dreams. _

Emotions running high, Boruto had eventually taken the life of the one who called himself Momoshiki, but it was due to Sasuke's ocular prowess that he was able to notice a change in Boruto's chakra... something had invaded his cells and had begun to infest within his body... the complexities troubled Sasuke. But for now, he just wanted his family. His troubles could wait. 

Through a purple vortex, the Kages, Boruto, Sasuke and the extra scientist and cameraman returned to the rooftop of which they departed. Waiting for them in anticipation and hope were their friends and families. The sight of the Uchiha's waiting in red and yearning, brought a smile to his face. He took them into his arm as the family embraced each other, with Sarada nestled in between her Mama and Papa. Their "Welcome back"'s was everything he needed after a day of blood and sweat sweltering off him in volumes. Even with onlookers surrounding them, Sasuke didn't let that obstruct him from holding his family close, even if he was just touching his daughter's hip, and allowing his fingers to brush against Sakura's modesty - the slightest touch would usually be too much of a public display of affection for Sasuke, but tonight, none of his usual duellings with concealing his emotions mattered. 

"Sorry to interrupt," came the gruff voice of none other than the Hokage's adviser, causing the Uchiha's to untangle from each other's grasp. "But I was just telling Naruto he should rest for tonight. You too. Go home. Stay with your family. We'll have a meeting tomorrow." 

"Hn. Thanks," thanked Sasuke. 

"I'll be sure to patch him up before your meeting then," Sakura informed Shikamaru. 

"I'm sure you will," Shikamaru chuckled, eliciting a light blush from Sakura, and a narrowing of the eyes from Sasuke; he would have to interrogate Sakura about this later, Sasuke reflected. Sarada looked up at the adults surrounding her and tried but failed to decipher their reactions. She took one last look at her parents before she tugged them both behind her, her left hand holding her Mama's hand, and her right holding Papa's sleeve. 

"Papa, Mama, let's go home! I'm cooking!" she giggled as she pulled them across rooftops. 

"Sarada, calm down. I still need to check up on your Papa!" laughed Sakura. Sasuke sent Sakura a knowing smile which she returned, as they ran into the red horizon that greeted the treetops.

*** 

The evening passed with the making of tomato soup and noodles with extra tomato toppings as Sakura examined Sasuke's form and sent through him the warm, tingling sensation of her green chakra. After she was done, she made her way to their daughter and said, "I'm going to check up on Naruto and Boruto. Your Papa's resting on the couch, but make sure he doesn't start overworking himself once I'm gone. He can be awfully stubborn at times." 

Sasuke watched as a secret joke was shared between the two females, leaving a giggling young girl stirring a pot, and a majestic woman waving at him as she left the house. As he looked upon his daughter, he suddenly saw a glimpse of his mother and Itachi in her. The gentle way she carried herself and her soft smiles she would reserve for those she loved... He had the sudden urge to tell her what she meant to him, he did not want to be the same as his own father who shied away from revealing his true feelings to his children. Sarada deserved so much more than he could bestow upon her, and so...

"Sarada," Sasuke called as he lay on the couch. 

The stirring stopped. "Hm, what is it Papa?" 

Words and loving phrases swam around his head...

_ I'm proud of you.  _

_ You fill me with so much happiness.  _

_ I will always protect you. _

...but they never reached his throat.

His silence must have sparked a curiosity of sorts, as she was hovering over him, feeling his forehead with the back of her hand. "Papa, are you okay?" she asked, concern flowing through her words, and etching onto her features. 

"Just... don't make the food sweet," was all that he could muster under the intensity of her gaze. 

"Oh..." came her response, stunned and dejected. "Would that be all?" she asked slowly, wondering if there was even a point in trying to have a conversation with her father. 

"Ah," he said, as he rose two fingers onto her forehead, paired with a smile leaving his lips. His daughter immediately turned around, concealing her flushed state and giddy expression from her father, but nothing could escape his piercing gaze. 

It was another hour before the matriarch had returned and had taken her throne on the dining table beside her husband and opposite their daughter. Her spot had been prepared with food, and adorned with flowers in a vase at the centre of the table. 

"This looks and smells lovely. Thank you, Sarada," Sakura smiled as she took her seat. 

"It was a team effort," Sarada beamed as she filled up her father's bowl. "Don't worry, Mama. I made sure Papa didn't get carried away. He just set the table." 

Sakura stroked a pink petal and sighed, "I can tell. Your Papa did always like to add a personal touch." Sasuke avoided her tender stare, abashed, as he stared at his steaming food waiting for Sarada and Sakura to say the customary thanks before eating. But the adoration that filled the sweet sound of his daughter's voice raised his sight onto her as she exclaimed, "Papa used to cook for you?!" 

Sakura hummed as confirmation before elbowing him. "Actually... he used to do all the household chores after we returned to the village when you were a few weeks old. And he was  _ insistent _ on taking care of you, especially when my shifts started again in the hospital. He was always so gentle-"

"Sakura," Sasuke growled low enough for only her to hear - a warning. But Sarada's look of awe at her parents spurned her on. 

"-He hated seeing you cry, so if you would ever fall and stumble when you were still learning how to walk, he would scoop you up and kiss you and-"

Sasuke coughed, and both females looked at him expectantly. "The food's getting cold..." Sasuke eventually mumbled. He could have sworn his two girls tried to hide their laughter, but when he looked at them they had already tucked into their food. 

"Talking about team effort," Sarada started as she handed her Mama dessert, referring back to their previous conversation. "How was working with Boruto, Papa? He was really depressed before... with the  _ chunin _ exams and everything."

"We spoke. He came through in the end," Sasuke summarised. 

"Oh? Did Naruto's talk-no- _ jutsu _ rub off on you as well, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura prodded gleefully. To anyone that didn't know Sasuke, his face would seemingly remain impassive, but Sakura knew Sasuke for all his merits and imperfections, and so she knew that the slight twitch in his face was a smile that had passed across his face just for her knowledge. 

"No..." Sasuke responded, stacking his plates and bowls into one pile. "Naruto has a gift that could make even the darkest shadows glisten. I pale in comparison to him." 

Beneath the table, Sakura squeezed Sasuke's knee - a gesture which spoke words that the two left unsaid. For when heightened emotions are concerned, a simple touch or a look could communicate their feelings, even if the subject was about their dear friend. 

"Huh? What are you two talking about?" Sarada interjected, slicing the magnetic field which had fixed onyx and emerald eyes together for an instant, for what seemed like an eternity. "Lord Seventh? And what exactly did you say to Boruto, Papa?" 

Sasuke's eyes however still held onto Sakura's as he told his daughter simply, "I told him he's a loser." 

A cacophony of a yelp stuck in Sarada's throat as she digested the information her father had enfolded upon her. No matter how much - or little- time they spent together, she still couldn't figure him out. 

"Right... I think I'll just go to bed..." Sarada announced more to herself than anyone else as she eyed her parents warily, no longer wanting to feel as if she was intruding an intimate moment. 

As soon as Sarada had slipped away like a meek mouse, Sakura edged closer to Sasuke as one of her palms lost themselves in her pink locks. "That was quite brave of you Sasuke, to hold your gaze for so long in front of her," she cooed, whilst drawing soothing patterns onto his leg with her right hand. 

"Tch. It's your fault. You need to stop looking at me like that," Sasuke accused as he stared off into the absent seat where his daughter once sat.

"Like what?" she probed, tilting her face to better look at her husband's scowl. She licked her lower lip as she enjoyed riling him up, knowing what that would earn her in private if she pushed just the right buttons. 

"Like you're in love," his tongue rolled out the words as if it pained him for that to be the case, when both parties knew the truth was the complete opposite. Sasuke Uchiha, a man forever destined to run away from his true feelings. 

Sakura laughed melodically. It was like icicles were being played in the frost of winter, and it was that song that could only keep you sane, and so Sasuke held onto it like his life depended on it. "I can't help it! Not if it's the truth," her laugh was electrifying, even more so than her touch, and so it was no wonder why in a split second two pillows occupied chairs where there were once humans. 

***

Having spent time with Boruto for what may have been a month if not more had given Sasuke the opportunity to speak of his best friend, and inform his son of what a great man his father was, and where the roots of those heroic attributes had started: alone and in despair. But it was because of experiencing such turmoil as Naruto had, and then being brought out into the sunlight by mentors and friends alike, that Naruto had been able to touch the tethers of all the demons he had come to pass, and break them away, allowing them freedom and the opportunity at redemption. And Sasuke was no stranger to this aforementioned ritual. Trading Naruto's secrets to his son was a blessing, and another way of redeeming himself. For all that he had put Naruto through, mentoring his son was the least exasperating method. And it had also meant that he had more time with Sarada whilst in the village, and more nights with Sakura... Nights that included him speaking of his feelings towards tutoring the young boy, and how in some ways he reminded him of a younger Naruto, but in other ways, how the half-Hyuga left some traits to be desired, and so that was where Sasuke had attempted the most to help his young student: to forge respect for the beloved Seventh Hokage, who was the embodiment of daylight. However, even then it was not enough time with his family, which was why Naruto had felt it fit to reprimand him for embarking on his quest so soon after their win against the Otsutsuki's. 

"You're leaving?" Naruto asked, after Sasuke had shared his thoughts about the one Otsutsuki who had fled. 

"Yeah, I'm the only one who can track them," Sasuke replied, and then made his way to the exit of the Hokage's office.

"Why don't you stay and rest a little longer?" he heard his soul brother suggest, almost too eagerly. "You know... with Sakura and Sarada..." Even after all this time, his best friend was still trying to save him from his pain, but Sasuke had now knowledge that Naruto was in no position to lecture about family. 

Sasuke looked over his shoulder as he regarded the Hokage coolly, "You're in no position to talk", before taking his leave. It was the flaw of fate that the two men who had everything taken from them at so young, had given everything to the new world of peace, for them to only not be able to enjoy it as they were the maintainers of peace. 

***

As Sasuke leaned against an apartment building, with one foot on the yellow brick wall, Sasuke overlooked the village and spotted the man known to his daughter as 'Konohamaru Sensei'. Sasuke reflected on their exchange weeks prior where he ensured the young Sensei was notified of temporarily losing a student. Konohamaru seemed grateful enough, even informing Sasuke how he was idolised by Boruto... But Sasuke did not feel worthy of the pedestal that Boruto placed him upon, for the four years that Boruto had spent resenting his father for negligence had now been smoothed over, and father and son had come to a new understanding. But for Sasuke and his own child, it had been eight years of no contact... Eight years of sorrows. Eight years of longing. Eight years of despair. But for  _ her _ , it was a lifetime. And so it would be a lifetime that he may have to spend paying and making up to his daughter for all those missed years. 

The passing down of Sasuke's old headband that had been marred with the tangible existence of Sasuke's misdeeds to Boruto was a symbol of trust to the next generation. But more significantly, it was a symbol that his old wrongs could be put to right, not just by himself, but by those that he would lead: Sarada and Boruto. They were the new lights of the world that would continue guiding the world through the light that Naruto had worked so hard to form. And now more than ever, with a shadow residing in Boruto, he needed Sasuke more than ever. He would not let the darkness engulf him, like it once did himself. He would not let the past repeat itself, no matter what way it threatened to worm its way through to the present. Previously, what troubled Sasuke about Boruto was his lack of relationship with his father, and how it mirrored his own relationship with his child. The shiny, over-wrought childhood that Boruto had faced meant that he knew nothing of pain and true sorrow - but that was merely due to the state of peaceful affairs to which he had been brought up in. But because of that lack of life experience, Boruto did not have the gift of empathy like his father did, and so Sasuke had worked hard in untangling the mess that was Boruto's arrogance and childishness by sharing hard truths of a boy who once refused to heed warnings and soldiered into the darkness with arrogance as his armour and solitude as his weapon, that was only saved by the flickering warmth of the daylight that graced him at daybreak, and had shielded him until he was brave enough to accept the warm embrace of spring. 

And so it was decided, whenever Sasuke had time to spend in the village, Boruto would have to have Sasuke's undivided attention.  _ I'm sorry, Sarada. _ For whatever calamity had wrenched itself into Boruto needed to be examined, contained, and in turn, exterminated. Despite this, Sasuke couldn't conceal his delectation when Sarada bounded over to him after Boruto's departure. 

"What were you and Boruto talking about, Papa?" Sarada asked, clearly pursuing for some of his time.

"Nothing much," was the crumb Sasuke offered Sarada. 

Sarada hummed to herself at his lack of response. But it was obvious it was not Boruto that she was concerned about right now, for when she appeared before him, she had a gleeful look in her eye, and a smile so adorable he could have sworn she was still an infant. "Hey Papa, how long are you staying in the village?" she prodded, hopeful. 

"It will take another day to analyse the data," he informed her. 

"Then keep me company while you're waiting!" she demanded, pure excitement radiating off of her at the prospect of spending some time with her beloved father. 

"What do you want to do?" he asked, not bothering to conceal the smile that had festered onto his lips, as he watched his daughter lead the way.

Happiness spilled out of her in the form of giggles as she turned to him again and revealed, "I want to perfect my fireball  _ jutsu _ ! For the future just in case..."

"Sounds good," he agreed. 

"Yes! Let's go!" she squealed in delight, clasping her hands together, before tugging at his hand. She stopped and relayed one message to him. "Oh yeah! Tonight Mama said she'll be waiting and making something special for dinner!" Sarada giggled, overjoyed at getting to spend quality time with her parents."Let's go Papa!" She tugged him again, and he followed her with a wide smile settling on his face. He was truly lucky to have been bestowed such a loving family, and he couldn't wait to share that same love with them back. 

He followed Sarada until they came to a clearing in a forest on the outskirts of Konoha. Their hour was spent with him first showing how it was done, and without him having to tell her, he had caught her studying him with her pair of inherited red eyes. Pride filled him for having a child that had also inherited her parent's smarts, which he was sure would take her far the more she enhanced her skills. 

After the last round of Sarada demonstrating her skills of the Uchiha's speciality, she skipped merrily towards her Papa, and laced her hands behind her back as her mother was known to do. "You should get going, Mama will be waiting for you," Sarada grinned up at her father. 

Sasuke rose a brow at his daughter's choice of wording. "And what about you?"

Sarada dug her toe into the ground and made her excuses. "Erm, I promised ChoCho I'll spend some time with her today... But I'll be back before dinner!" Sasuke beckoned his daughter forward and traced the burn marks around her lips with a hint of chakra without her noticing that he was healing her. 

"What was that for, Papa?" Sarada asked curiously, her fingers exploring the tingling sensation on her lips. 

"If Sakura finds you hurt, I'm sure I'll never hear the end of it," he brushed off, his stoic expression not revealing anything more. Sarada put a hand on her hip and studied her father before dismissing his actions as ' _ weird _ ' and bounded off. Sasuke continued to watch his daughter's retreating form until she was only a speck of red dissolving before his very eyes. He looked off to the horizon with a tug on his lips as he made his way home, taking in all the sights around him, but it was the small things that struck him with the most joy: the simple rivulets that swept down vines, the birds that broke into song, and the children's eyes that glistened with happiness as their parents spoiled them with attention. With a spring in his step, he made his way home and found Sakura bare-foot in the kitchen, all her focus poured into the cooking pot. 

He padded silently behind her and slunk his arm around her petite waist and hid his face in the crook of her neck. He breathed in her scent: everything that was floral and reminded him of their ventures together out in the wilderness. 

"I'm home," he breathed out onto her creamy skin. He felt her right arm come up to cradle his neck and stroke his head. 

"I can tell," she replied, the smile poorly hidden in her words. 

"I... heard... you.... were... making... something... special..." he relayed to her, each word punctuated with a kiss on her neck. 

"That was the plan... But I won't be able to finish up if you continue like that," she chuckled, taking her arm from his head and continued stirring the pot. 

"That's fine. After all, I have a starter in mind," he smirked, before taking a bite into his first course, his red eye awakened and spiralled lazily, unbidden. His hand left her hip and trailed her front until it found her bare navel through the parting of her dress under the apron. "Actually, I might have you for dessert too," he added huskily. 

Sakura swatted him away with her hand forcing him to release her as she chuckled, "Oh shut up, tomato boy. If we're not careful, Sarada could come home any minute and find us!" 

Sasuke rose a brow at this. "She didn't tell you? She won't be back until dinner." 

Sakura stopped tending to the stove and whisked around to the face Sasuke. "Really? It's unlike her not to tell me these things..." Sakura put a finger on her chin and raised her emeralds up high until a thought struck her and a rose blush filled her cheeks. "That daughter of mine..." she mumbled to herself as if a crime had been committed. 

Whilst Sakura had been lost in her thoughts, Sasuke had taken over the cooking, ensuring the right amount of herbs and spices had been mixed into the dishes. "You mean  _ our _ daughter," he corrected her. "What did she do?" he asked, curious as to her abrupt change in reaction as Sakura melded her body into his and slunk her arms around his neck, her head resting on his chest. 

"Oh nothing," she purred into his heart. "Just that she set her Papa and Mama up for some alone time." 

Sasuke froze and slowly lowered his face to meet her alluring irises. "You're kidding?" he asked, disbelief intermingling with his words. 

"Why is it so hard to believe?" Sakura asked looking up at him, doe-eyed.

"She seems so..." Sasuke struggled to find the right words.

"What? Stoic? Like you?" Sakura giggled and brought one hand down to pat his chest. "She may be your daughter and have a tough exterior like you. But underneath it all, don't forget, she's also a child of mine. So it's only expected that she has a softer side to her, one that is curious about romance." Sakura sighed into Sasuke, fluttering his heart with her words and breath. But it occurred to Sasuke, wasn't he also the same? Having a softer side that leaned heavily towards a romantic relationship with his wife? But before he could voice his thoughts, he heard Sakura mutter, "She really is your daughter, eh?" 

Together, with the partnership of a husband and wife, they had completed making a three-course meal, complete with a salad peppered with cherry tomatoes. There were still two hours before Sarada was expected home, and so they moved their romantic affairs to the bathroom with a bottle of red wine that Sakura had been storing for such moments as these. Blissful moments such as the simple act of cooking, or the more sultry acts of sharing a moment to cleanse and unwind under a blanket of love and suds was what made his companionship with Sakura so fruitful. As Sakura sat between his splayed legs and against his thrumming heartbeat, an inaudible confession of love left his lips and escaped into the cascades of her pink hair. If every day could be this harmonious, then he would never leave... A wish that he knew was far from what reality offered him, but a wish no doubt. But for now, whilst she was still in his grasp, he held onto her like a boat holds onto its anchor, through the turbulent wave that was his fate, Sakura was always the one that held him steady, even when he was sworn to trade tricks with the devil. He rubbed her ferocious arm that blew mountains into dust, and mended shattered bones with a soothing motion, as if to send waves of his own affection towards her. She must have understood as she sighed contentedly, further going under the bed of bubbles that floated atop their naked selves. 

When their bodies had had enough, and the tell-tale signs of spending too long under water came into fruition with the wrinkles on their fingertips, Sakura stood up and untangled herself from her lover. Through the window, the light of the evening sun fell, landing perfectly on her figure so that her candyfloss coat shone a thousand different shades of gold. And when he looked upon Sakura, he couldn't help but think that she exuded love as naturally as the sun emits light... Her love for him had always felt familial even from their  _ genin _ days, slightly maternal, slightly undeserving. But even then, when he would only offer her glances when he was sure she was unaware, he had always been grateful for her love. It was so sickly sweet that it reminded him of his past relations with his brother and mother, and now in the present, her now requited loved filled him with so much ardour and lust which was what had him trailing after her. Droplets framed the passageway with each step they took. Giddy laughs and amused grunts reverberated throughout the apartment until he had her enclosed within his arm once again, two towels acting as their only barriers. 

"I've been meaning to ask you," he breathed out, warming her flustered state. "What was that little exchange you had with Shikamaru yesterday? What did he mean by he's sure you'll heal me?" 

Sakura's gaze immediately left his as she started playing with the top end of her towel. "Did you not see him this morning?" she asked failing to seem intrepid, attempting to divert the course of the conversation. 

"Yes, but I'm asking you," he challenged, steering back the conversation, curious as to where it would be headed. When she would not answer and her flustered state seemed to worsen with the evidence of guilt forming into a blush, he narrowed his eyes at his speculation coming to light. "You've been talking about  _ us _ \- about what we do, haven't you?" 

She untangled in front of him, excuses permeating from her lips, cheeks warming on both parties, the atmosphere becoming heated and intense. "I-Ino and T-Temari- they- we- it was just a bit of girl talk, and they started asking questions, and I... I'm sorry, but I crumpled in front of them at the thought of us spending our n-nights together, and th-they... I didn't think they'd tell their husbands!" She threw up her hands in the air, causing her towel to slip and become a rumpled mess at their feet. 

His voice was dangerously low as his face lowered with it. Daggers shot into her eyes, and she knew what was coming as she gulped in anticipation - in  _ excitement _ . "Well, if you're going to talk," he started, his voice dripping with a luscious venom that was too intoxicating not too consume. "You can give them at least one more thing to talk about." 

Before the end of the evening, his healing techniques had once again come into use. By the time their daughter had come home they were seated on the far ends of the sofa, smirks hidden by a mug on both ends, and the middle of the sofa waiting invitingly, expectantly, for the daughter of the household to take her seat. It was no wonder she thought her parents were peculiar and their distance from each other did nothing to soothe her worries that her parent's love was on the most part, one-sided. 

But a loving hand nestled on Sarada's shoulder and she looked up to see her mother smiling warmly down at her as she said, "Your Papa helped to cook for us." Sasuke's tender gaze never left his daughter's as she found his with a look of awestruck reverence. 

They ate their dinner with a humble silence, peace settling between them as love overflowed throughout the room, bringing all three members of the little family closer together. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hadn't preplanned writing about Sasuke's relationship with Boruto, like I heavily thought about his relationship with Naruto, Sakura and Sarada. But when starting this chapter, I thought it was important to do so due to where the manga is right now, and I also noticed that in the anime Sasuke always seemed deep in thought when Boruto said something like how wants to beat Naruto up. 
> 
> Whilst flicking through the chunin exam episodes I realised that after Sasuke had acquired the scroll from Kaguya's ice dimension, he escaped into the desert dimension..... I've literally been writing that he does that!! 
> 
> Also the bromance between adult Naruto and adult Sasuke gets me in the feels. I love their friendship!
> 
> I also made an AMV which will inspire my AU fanfic once I'm done with this. You can watch it here: 
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOXpWCxJffE&t=2s 


	26. Ignite

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was originally going to be the final chapter, however, as I kept on writing it soon came to be 16,000+ words and I still hadn't finished. So in the end I decided that in order to make the reader's experience better, I would split what I had written into two separate chapters. Note: The next chapter will very likely be the final chapter. 
> 
> This chapter is heavily based upon the Boruto anime, however, if you are unfamiliar with the anime then I still hope this flows well. 
> 
> Kishimoto-style: flashback jutsu! Enjoy reading!

As calmly as the foam of the sea reaches the grains of land and kisses them with all its fervor, Sakura gave all she had in everything she did for the man she loved, and Sasuke inhaled all of Sakura's love and Sarada's affections with lidded eyes before embarking on his quest. As he came upon clear streams that rippled with the serenity that nostalgia and memories brought, he was faced with his own reflection causing him to reflect on his last departing. Sakura had brought his lunch enveloped in warmth and endearment, and had passed it along to him, one arm hid behind her back. Sarada stood between them, dressed in a white shirt and red skirt, eerily similar to how she used to dress as a young child. Sarada's grin had widened with every passing second as she noticed the subtle hints of Sasuke's adoration for Sakura, with his hidden smiles and his soft "Thanks. I'll see you both soon." It was a good thing that Sasuke had left when he did, for he did not think he would be able to handle being teased by his pre-teen daughter, or worse, being demanded another kiss from his wife in public. The soft weeds on the riverbed that brushed his ankles reminded him of Sakura's loving touch as their fingers brushed as he took the packed lunch from her, wanting forever to be the time period for their touch to last, to hold each other, and to speak their hearts. Like the oxygen that passed through to his lungs, it was inevitable that it was her comfort that he sought whilst on the road, hoping to make it back home with the words that she had whispered to him whilst he feigned sleep in her arms: "Come back to me safe and sound, Sasuke-kun", imprinting her words on him with a kiss on his forehead. _Safe and sound_. 

Sasuke would continue to send updates to the Leaf via his hawks, but time to time, he would make it a point to physically return, despite that meaning that it would set his self-appointed missions back. His heart longed for his family, and there was also the foreboding darkness that he was aware of... the darkness that lurked inside Boruto, that no-one else was yet aware of. And so Sasuke would spend his days in Konoha, true to his promise to himself, with his boisterous student, before departing again. And as patiently as the night waits for the moon's many faces, as melodically as the sun paints the sky with all its talents, he knew his lover would too, be waiting for him to grace her nights and for her to bless his days. They would stand side by side, atop rooftops, watching their daughter forge strong bonds with her comrades as they once did, and they would watch with pride filling their hearts. The few times that they would stand or sit together in public, Sasuke always made sure to place some gap between him and his wife, for he strongly believed that his love for her was meant to be witnessed only by nature itself, and no one else was privy to their most intimate moments. And so a gap would be placed between them, waiting for their daughter to take her place to fill that spot whenever she was free. The common folk of the village would murmur about their distance in public, but Sasuke was sure to keep any worries of Sakura's at bay by immediately closing that gap when they were alone. Whether it was a mere touch, or a confession of his devotion to her through a look, words, or through the act of love-making, he was sure to shower her in it all. As much as he denied it, he was enraptured by her flirtations, which was clear enough when he would trap her between his solid body and a wall. 

But his daughter was another matter... the thought of her resentment towards him growing gnawed away at him, causing him to second-guess his actions, however, there was an Otsutsuki waiting, residing on some ends of the earth, waiting for the right time to strike. It seemed that it was never the right moment for Sasuke to sweep back home with apologies gifted to his daughter, for the world awaited him and all its secrets that it harboured in the depths of its murky waters, where all the demons reside. 

As he continued on his journey, that at times seemed endless, the speckles of white dust that permeated off the snowy mountains settled on his black roots until he was cloaked in a cold touch of purity. A cold touch that reminded him of white buildings in the day where he had tied his life full of vows to the woman of his dreams... but at night, the fear that he had been harnessing would break out and encircle his windpipe with terrors that were decades old: 

_A sparked charge of lightning intended for a pink-haired medic-nin who had her own sights on taking away his life. Her hesitation at following his demands of killing his female subordinate irked him - it was the sign that she was not willing to comply, not truly. His suspicions had been heightened; the pink blur was not an ally, but an enemy, just like the dark roots of Konoha - that was all she were - a bud that had bloomed in the blood of his clansmen, cut by his older brother, who had been shackled to the Konoha's warped systems and ideals. Enrage engulfed him and he sought a fiery revenge: blood for blood. Chidori striking through soft flesh, warm blood running atop skin until it turns cold; love brandishing into hate; emerald widened eyes forever burning into him, until her deaths replays in his mind for evermore._

He would wake up, panting, gasping, some sign that the dream was all just that, and not harsh reality. Ragged breaths would fester, haggardly, and swollen eyes would take in the surroundings until it would land on the physical sign that he was not a cold-blooded killer, at least not in this moment in time: the remnants of his left arm would still be a reminder to him of his misdeed all these years. But as the daylight would seep in through the cracks of the trees surrounding his bed rest, he would also be reminded of how his friend had gone through hell to bring him to the heaven he knew so well - and then his mind would flicker back to the photograph planted on the shelf back home. A photograph of him with his family ignited happiness within him, swelling him with pride: him and his wife, with their daughter standing ahead of them. The thought of them warmed him, and he knew he could brave the cold - and the night terrors - for days and weeks at a time, knowing he had a family to come home to. 

With each new land he ventured into, he would be reminded of his adventures with Sakura during her pregnancy, checking on the ball of chakra that was growing inside her with his _sharingan_ , keeping her fears at bay. As he stumbled upon a grove that was filtered with growing cherubs and other flowers framing his path, he was reminded of a particular moment when he had passed this path once before with his loving wife. He remembers vividly that she had been 9 weeks pregnant, as she had constantly been comparing the size of the fetus to different fruits. 

_Sakura was reaching up high on a log as her fingers brushed the fruits of the trees she was trying so hard to get her hands upon. She was defiant in allowing Sasuke to help her, and insisted she does some tasks dependently whilst she still could. He was watching her whilst he leaned against another tree, his eyes resting on the flicker in her womb, ensuring that the chakra of their unborn baby would not deplete before it had breathed life._

_"A peanut," Sasuke had said, unaware his thoughts had been voiced aloud._

_He watched as Sakura stumbled and fell at his sudden outburst, and he flickered to her side, holding her before she could reach the floor._

_"Wh-what? Why did you say that?" Both Sakura and Sasuke instantly ducked their heads as a reflex as a group of fruits fell around them, some even splattering onto their heads._

_"Sorry about that," Sasuke apologised, gesturing towards the red juice running down her face with his chin. He used his sleeve to wipe off the red drips off her face, before tending to his own._

_"Hey, you're not off the hook that easily! Answer me, Sasuke Uchiha!" Sakura demanded, a pout forming on her lips._

_"I was talking about this," he explained as his hand went to caress her clothed stomach. "It should be the size of a peanut by now, right? "_

_"Oh!" Sakura chuckled. "Well, yes, you're right. Although... I was thinking more of a strawberry... or..." Sakura picked up a fruit from the floor and poured some of her bottled water onto it before offering it to Sasuke. "A cherry!" She grinned, blushes framing her smile which was so captivating and contagious all at once that he couldn't help but smile back._

_But despite what Sakura had said, the word 'peanut' had stuck in his mind never to be spoken again, even when the unborn child was the size of a watermelon._

It was with this memory lingering in his mind that he had eventually found himself back in Konoha after his intel had taken him from the grove to the wilderness just outside of Konoha where he had helped Sarada train a few weeks prior. With her in mind, he had decided to seek her out in Konoha, but what caught his attention was the number of families huddled together on every street and corner of the village. He had learned from Boruto that a new holiday had been marked on the calendar, and it was said holiday that these families were celebrating: 'Parent and Child Day'. Thanks to Boruto, he had learnt what the celebration involved, from festivities to different food stalls placed around the village, but most importantly, where his beloved daughter was. 

As he waited by the stream at the training grounds for where his daughter was expected to be, Sasuke reflected back on his relationship with his own father - he had tried so desperately hard to please him and gain recognition, which had mostly gained him some bitter resentment towards his father, and some jealousy towards his elder brother for a period of time. He wanted nothing more than to not repeat that cycle of fatherhood, and so attempted to build bridges in whatever way he could - even remembering that her favourite colour was red:

 _"Wed. I love colour wed."_ The memory of a younger Sarada screaming at his face about her love for the colour spiralled in his mind, and so he felt at a loss when the current Sarada clarified that despite her wearing the colour, she was not exactly enamoured nor defined by it. The realisation that this 12 year-old girl standing beside him was not the same three year old he remembered swung back at him in full force, leaving him feeling deflated - a feeling he barely gets when in battle. 

And no thanks to Kakashi, who decided it would be a good idea to use the graphic 'Icha Icha' books as advice, Sasuke had made things even more awkward between him and his daughter. Due to the the brilliance of the Sixth Hokage, Sasuke had greeted his child with the word that had been plaguing him since the memory had returned to him. 

"Peanut," he had said, earning Sarada to be even more startled than when Sakura had the pleasure of experiencing Sasuke voice his thoughts. "You're my cute little peanut," he had clarified. But the clarification did nothing to straighten the foils of their relationship. Humiliation after humiliation, he was left overlooking the river at Senju bridge when the devil himself emerged beside him, urging him to spill what had transpired between himself and his peanu- Sarada. Sasuke found himself sulking to the Sixth about how the act of draping his cloak around her shoulders did not work as expected, and how she had even spat out the word that had haunted him for years: "annoying". 

Just after he had threatened to throw Kakashi into the river, the silver-haired retired ninja had pointed out that someone more qualified to understand the twelve year old's heart was approaching them. Stunned, Sasuke turned to see who he was referring to, to only come into contact with the twilight sky acting as a backdrop for the ethereal beauty who graced his presence. His eyes scanned her from toe-up, the cascades of gold and orange-red hues fell around her, framing her body as she put all the stars to shame as she glistened, her skin the perfect glow of pink as she stumbled over his name. 

"S-S-Sa-Sasuke-kun!"

"Sakura!" he had returned in mild surprise. 

*... _I don't wanna look at anything else now that I saw you...*_

_*...I could never look away...*_

Sakura's presence captivated him. For once during this torturous day, Kakashi had been right, Sakura was the most qualified person to turn to in this regard. Sasuke had been so caught up in his own turmoil, he had forgone the thought of turning to the mother of his child - someone who he would turn to for almost anything else. As he looked upon their family portrait, he shared his concerns with her, and in turn, she reminded him of his own past he had shared with her early in their relationship. How he had sought attention and recognition from his father and brother. How he had wanted to be acknowledged. Over the years, he realised that she had understood his yearning so well because that had been what _she_ had wanted from _him_. So as she made her way from the dining table and trimmed his hair, he considered her words and held them close. 

*... _I don't wanna think of anything else now that I thought of you...*_

_*...Things will never be the same...*_

With Sakura's words in mind, he had managed to finally get through to Sarada. They had come to a new understanding of each other by spending quality time with each other at the training grounds. They had both thrown away any walls built, and had instead exposed their hearts and minds to each other. With dusk settling around them, father and daughter looked into their horizon: the current Shadow Hokage and the future Hokage. 

_Sarada Uchiha, the Eighth Hokage_. 

The title had a nice ring to it, Sasuke had to admit. And in order to earn that title, Sasuke had vowed to do whatever he could to support her, through the blissful days and the more tenuous nights. It occurred to Sasuke that what Aburame Shino had informed him earlier as he was thanking Sarada's former Academy teacher, was that he too was aware of the path Sarada had embarked on. He was glad that she was surrounded by people that loved and took care of her whilst he was away, and once again, he found himself thanking Naruto for making it all possible. 

The day had ended with Sarada thanking Boruto for whatever advice he had given her, and she gave her some of her own advice to him. Sasuke smiled as he looked at the two interact. They both already had a healthy friendship, unlike the relationship he had had with his own teammates, and so with Sarada's foundations secure, he only had to ensure her future was too. And so father and daughter walked home in the afterglow, serenity blanketing them just as it had been with Sakura when he had walked home with her, confiding in her about his predicament with the twilight sky raining down on them. 

Hours after Sarada had retreated to the bedroom for the night, Sasuke found Sakura lounging on the couch after he had cleared up their family dinner. Aware that Sarada was most likely in a peaceful slumber, Sasuke continued to bring his walls down and lay his vulnerable state in Sakura's lap as she hummed whilst threading her fingers through his recently trimmed hair. 

"So it seems you two worked out everything in the end, hmm?" Sakura asked. "She seemed really delighted to have you home tonight."

Sasuke grunted as confirmation, before reaching out to find her other hand and pulling it to his lips. _It was thanks to you_. 

An air of contentment blew threw Sakura's nose and warmed Sasuke's face. He shifted his position in her lap and drew his hand from her, only to look up and cradle her face, his purple mesmerising eye in full view as it drank her in. The look that they shared was a look where memories passed, history was transfixed into their gaze as they took in each other's profile, reading each other's love for the other until both were overwhelmed with the romantic state they were transfixed in that there was no other course of action, but for Sakura's lips to pull over Sasuke's and take what was hers. Their lips moved slowly against the other as Sasuke tasted her sweetness and Sakura tasted his passion. As they parted from each other's warmth, a sigh of merriment escaped his wife and he knew she felt the same thing too: love. Peace. Contentment. He knew her for all she was, and he embraced every inch of her, to her very core. He continued to study her with a tender gaze until a giggle escaped her lips, and when she couldn't contain herself anymore, she threw back her head with laughter causing Sasuke to raise a brow. 

"What's so funny?" he asked. He waited for her to regain her composure before she smiled sweetly at him and gave him her answer. 

"It's what Sarada said at dinner... You told me you took Kakashi's advice and the distance between you and Sarada grew... but you didn't tell me what you did! You called her a-"

"Stop, Sakura," Sasuke urged, realising where this was headed - it would be another ammunition Sakura could use to tease him. 

She drew a sharp breath, before laughing out, "-a peanut!"

"Shut up," Sasuke demanded. 

"Wait 'til I tell Naruto!" Sakura wheezed, clutching the side of her stomach. 

"Fuck off," Sasuke muttered before rolling off Sakura's lap and throwing daggers with his eyes at anything but Sakura. 

He felt another body drape over his before he heard a whisper on the side of his jaw. "You know I'm just messing with you... but you really are so _cute!_ " Sakura cooed whilst pinching his cheek. "But not as cute as your little peanut, eh, Sasuke?" At this, Sasuke pushed her off leaving a laughing Sakura on the couch as he announced, "I'm heading to bed." 

***

Sasuke chases shadows and stories of a floating being with _byakugan_ popping up in several places as he feels the particles of sand that sweeps across his feet amidst the Suna desert, and it is then that Sasuke recalls the words shared between pillows and blankets: 

_"If you're here to make fun of me, then just don't. Go to sleep, Sakura," Sasuke brooded as he felt the space beside him lower as it welcomed a new weight._

_"Don't worry, Sasuke-kun. I wouldn't want to wake up your cute little peanut," he hears Sakura giggle._

_Sasuke glares at the wall, refusing to turn around to greet his wife properly to bed. A few more moments pass before he feels a hand on his shoulder, and then a loving squeeze to emanate from her to him. He refuses to give in to her, a childish game he starts, testing how long either of them will hold out. A soft brush of lips are landed delicately between his shoulder blades, and Sasuke smirks in satisfaction as he knows he's won this teasing game of theirs._

_"Sasuke..." he hears her purrs, a slight urgency in her call for him. Her hand begins its administrations along his arm as she feels his muscles that hide beneath his night clothes. Her hand continues to lower until she finds his hand, and he gives in, allowing her to interlink their fingers together. Their legs are next, and he feels that he enjoys being cocooned by her warmth, by her loving embrace. His eyes fall languidly as sleep catches up with him, but as his breathing occupy a steady rhythm, he hears a plead, "Sasuke, don't go to sleep yet."_

_He waits for her to make her move - whatever that may be. Perhaps she wants to take the reigns and demonstrate her dominance, or maybe she'd rather he... But instead she surprises him by saying, "I need to tell you something."_

_"What is it?" he asks, noticing the slight hesitation in her voice poorly covered with her conviction to tell him anything and everything. When she struggles to find the strings of words to start what is hounding on her, he urges her on with, "Something's bothering you. So tell me."_

_He feels her forehead rest against his back before she whispers, "That's not exactly the case... What I'm going to tell you... It's been resolved, but... But you can't get mad," she finishes, her hand tightening against his._

_Sasuke lets out an exasperated breath, almost a grumble, as he prepares for whatever she's about to tell him._

_"It's about Sarada..." she starts. "I'm guessing she didn't tell you, because I'm sure you would have discussed it with me if she did but, it wasn't so long ago that she left the village with her teammates... without Naruto's authorisation."_

_At this, Sasuke whips around and faces Sakura, "WHAT?!" Sasuke starts to untangle himself from Sakura, and go speak to his daughter about how irresponsible her actions were, the importance of following the most basic village code:_ don't desert the village.

 _But Sakura uses her strength and pulls him back down against her, and uses her hands to stroke his face and chest until he listens to her words as that is what she demands with her coos, "Listen. Sasuke, listen. Don't get mad at her, you've just built a relationship with her. Please listen." He blinks back any rage and frustration and listens to the wisdom of his wife. He learns that his child was stripped off being a ninja along with the rest of her team, and that she was supporting Boruto in their quest to uncover their other teammate's secrets and reasons for desertion. But in the end, the Tsuchikage had requested all_ genin _involved should be pardoned , and Sakura begs Sasuke to understand, to pardon her too, for she has done no wrong, not really._

_"But Sakura-"_

_"Trust me, I_ know _how you feel. You think she's going to follow a dark path that you once walked. But it's different! The whole situation is different. She was looking out for her comrades, don't you see, Sasuke? She made the right choice. It's a choice that Naruto and I made hundreds of times to search for you, back then."_

_Sasuke looked at her, her words sinking in as he sinks into the green depths of her eyes._

_"But you and Naruto always had the Hokage's consent," he disputes._

_Sakura shakes her head as if he's wrong. "If Lady Tsunade wasn't the Hokage, and it was someone else, like Danzo or those two old crones, then believe me, me and Naruto would have taken things into our own hands and searched for you. We would have fought for you if circumstances had been different..." And as she continues to explain her reasons for why he should not be mad at Sarada or Boruto, he realises he is falling hopelessly in love with her all over again, and that was why he accepted her reasonings and her rationality, and basked in her sunlight which glowed even in the late hours of the moon's survey around the earth. But despite all that, a part of him still thought Sarada's actions were unacceptable and so he deliberated his concerns with the Hokage and his adviser when they were about to decide on their single candidate for chunin._

Sasuke continued on his pursuit of the Otsutsuki, trailing his leads wherever it took him. It had been a few weeks since he had last visited home, and he wondered how Sarada was fairing well without him. Although they had had some moments together, cherishing whatever they could, Sasuke was well aware that the distance placed between them could only further dampen the relationship, and so it was a current that would continuously work against him. However, even the shortest amount of times spent with his daughter were far greater than the years that he had missed without her, and he could only hope that she felt the same... 

A week later when he returns to Konoha, once again his time is invested into meetings with Naruto and Shikamaru, and when he has a time to spare he finds himself in the training grounds, building up his body to become accustomed to using the _rinnengan_ and _mangekyo sharingan_ simultaneouslyall the while maintaining his stamina. 'Home' is a paradox of sorts for Sasuke - the house where his family reside is a place he finds it hard to find his way to. For all his years away, Sasuke finds it difficult to accept that he is welcome there, for there is still a slight rift between himself and his daughter... and although his relationship with Sakura is stable, Sasuke finds himself subconsciously growing distant from her. His nights are less frequent there, perhaps there is a small part of him, the wanderer that longs for the strenuous roads ahead, that makes the idea of being kept at home feel foreign. The hero that keeps peace through the shadows is constantly on edge, waiting for bad news to strike at any moment. However, when he does go home, being in the mere presence of his wife, smelling her scent, hearing her light hums that travel through the walls, it is as if he has an epiphany. And Sasuke finds himself again. With Sakura, he finds his rhythm with her, and he knows he belongs there. By her side. The halo of her hair tracing stories on his sculpted body as he lays beneath, her fingers tracing his scars as they listen to the whispers of their breathing, waiting for their connecting heartbeats to lull them to sleep is what begs his soul to stay... But it is in the morning when he awakes, and he stirs, that he hears the question on her lips. 

"Will you stay for breakfast?" she asks, hopeful, her green eyes looking up at him expectantly. 

A request so simple, but it shatters him, although he knows that she will understand. But their daughter is an ocean of water that still needs to be tamed and conquered, the tides of her feelings towards her father are a game of push and pull, and although he has pulled her towards the shore a few times... Sometimes it feels that she is too far out, unable to grasp her and get her to understand. 

"I have some business at the Hokage's Office," he responds, his fingers tracing out an apology as he strokes her back, his hand brushing against her feathery hair as he does so. He hears a breath pass from her, and he hears her unspoken words that falter from her - she wishes it could be different, that he could spend more time with them. But she is too understanding and too devoted to him to voice her words. 

"I'll see you soon," he promises, gently placing her down on the mattress. As he takes his leave he looks past his shoulder to see that she has curled into the indentation he has left on the bed, and he too wishes for more time. Sasuke makes certain that the breakfast for his family are ready, and it consoles him that indirectly, he can still share moments with his family. 

~ 

With theories and battle plans laid onto the table, Sasuke leaves the Hokage to his other duties and continues on to the training grounds, where memories await him. The start to Team 7 greets him in floods as each hand sign his hand forms reminds him when the very same hand offered the blonde-headed fool some food, breaking the rules laid out by their sensei. As Sasuke moves away from the three stumps as the evening light falls upon him between the shrouded trees, his student rushes towards him, a desperate plea for any information on his father's master: Jiraiya. 

Boruto ends his rounds on questions with a message. "Oh yeah! Sarada asked if you could go home early. Apparently Auntie Sakura is making something special for dinner or whatever. If you see my dad before that then tell him to not to stay at the office too late," Boruto relayed, before jumping off the tree and heading home. 

Sakura had been spending a lot of time at home recently, from what he had figured. Where Sakura could be flexible with her work from time to time, having underlings who can cover her shifts, Sasuke did not have the luxury to do that. In all the Five Great Nations, there was no soul in existence who could occupy Sasuke's job, and it was with that in mind that he continued building up his body in preparation for the worst possible outcome. 

The night had blanketed the sky by the time he had arrived home. No sound was spoken as he padded into the open dining room, spying a folded note left next to a series of dishes of food. Curious, as he and Sakura had not found the need to write letters to each in a while, he gingerly peeled the paper open to find a neatly written letter, akin but not the same to Sakura's handwriting:

_Welcome home, Papa Sasuke!_

_Thanks for all your hard work. I know you're busy, but are you eating properly? It's so rare that you're home... Mama Sakura said that she wanted us to eat together once in a while._

_Oh, and Boruto wanted to ask if you could borrow_ _'Icha Icha Tactics' from Kakashi Sensei. So could you?_

_Love, Sarada_

Sasuke pocketed the note in amusement, before taking his food on a tray into his bedroom. He found Sakura lying on the bed, a medical scroll nestled next to her when she looked up in surprise. "Oh, Sasuke-kun! Welcome home!" she greeted. Sakura sat up and pat the space next to her which he took as he placed the tray of food on his lap. 

"How has your day been?" Sakura asked, making conversation. 

"Taxing. I've been with Naruto for most of it," he replied. "But Boruto came to find me a little while ago. He was asking about Jiraiya."

"Oh, that's one of the legendary Sanin! Tsunade-sama's teammate!"

"Hn. And known pervert. Boruto asked me to get Kakashi's copy of the 'Icha Icha' books, of all things," Sasuke scowled. 

Sakura snorted at Sasuke's expression, an astonishing reaction as she was known for detesting perverts. "I'm worried Sarada might also be interested..." Sasuke grimaced. 

Sakura rose a brow and consoled him. "Don't worry, no one is as irresponsible as to give those books to kids. They hold far too much adult content, as you would know, Sasuke-kun..." His name rolled off of her tongue like how the wind passes through bells, causing them to sing. 

"Tch," Sasuke scoffed, rolling his eyes in protest. "Blame Kakashi. I don't know why I've ever trusted his advice." His mind flickered to the times when Kakashi would send him copies of pages of the Icha Icha books stapled onto mission requests, and again recently when Kakashi tried to be 'helpful' with Sasuke's family affairs. 

Sasuke continued to eat his food in silence, feeling the loving gaze of his wife drape across him. It was another few minutes before he decided to address it. 

"Stop looking at me," he ordered, noticing how she had a palm on a cheek as she ogled him with a smile gracing her luscious lips. 

"You're getting shy on me now after _this_ many years of marriage?" she asked, a chuckle threatening to break out. He felt her finger pick off a stray rice that had lost its way to his mouth and ended up on the side of his lips, before she offered her finger to him for him to lick it clean. 

His eyes bore into her with a challenge, taking in her rose gold satin night gown and her creamy flesh that was exposed to him, with all her dips and curves. "You're the one that still faints when you see me," he chided. A blush worked its way up, getting her all flustered until she couldn't keep her eyes locked with Sasuke's anymore. "Now who's the shy one," he provoked with a slight smirk. 

He proceeded to eat, and he still had a mouthful inside him when he felt the _thump!_ of the pillow on the side of his head. He whipped his head round to face her and blinked at her, taking in her defensive form as she held the pillow in front of her, waiting for him to attack. He decided to ignore her... until minutes passed and she had lost interest, reading her scroll again. It was whilst she was preoccupied that he tackled her onto the bed, startling her as her head fell against the pillows. 

"You might need to work on your ninja skills, _wife_ ," he sneered into her ear. He is lost in her giggles and she is lost in the smothering of his lips. He feels her hands claw against his clothes, as something innocent becomes more heated. As her ankles connect against the back of his waist, their attention is directed to the window, where a light pecking is heard. 

Sasuke grumbles an apology as he scrambles off of her and heads to the window. He parts the curtains and lets in his hawk who holds a scroll clasped against its feet. 

"It's Naruto. I have to go. I'm sorry, Sakura," he tells her as he turns back to her. He palms her cheek and leans down to leave a light kiss on her nose. She captures his palm in her own hands and nuzzled her head in his hand. 

"I'll be okay, Sasuke... But-"

"I know. I got her letter," Sasuke smiled to himself, reflecting that no matter what happened, they would always be father and daughter. His musings however caused him to miss the creases on his wife's forehead as her brows furrowed together. "She's really cute." 

"...Like a pea-?"

"Like her mother," Sasuke quickly said, hoping that'd shut her up. Sakura's eyes widened and her mouth fell agape as she realised what Sasuke had just said. Abruptly, she flung her arms around him, crashing him into a bone-crushing hug. 

"Sa...ku...ra," he wheezed, causing Sakura to let go. 

"Oh, I'm sorry!" she apologised. "But you know I love it when you express yourself!" Sakura continued to squeal with her eyes shut. _She really is cute._

Sasuke smiled and poked her forehead. "I really do have to go now. Naruto will be waiting," Sasuke informed her, before taking his hawk and heading out the window. 

***

A series of events had occurred in only one night, enabling Sasuke to reflect on his past and what he had left behind so long ago... all that he had missed for the sake of power and revenge. Sasuke had come face to face with the pain that Naruto and Sakura had to endure for his sake, and even then, it was only a fraction of what they had gone through. Sasuke was truly blessed to have his loved ones around him, and that realisation was manifested even further as he entered his home to find his wife asleep at the dining table. A flurry of emotions passed over him as his face softened at her state. At the alert that Urushuki Otsutsuki was bordering the village, all shinobi had been on patrol, including medic-nins who had been called in to the hospital at the state of emergency. Knowing that his wife, Dr. Uchiha, had been in charge of overlooking any injuries for the last few hours or so, he knew how exhausted she must have been... and for her to still be waiting up for him...

He continued to take in her sleeping form as his presence filled the room, eventually stirring her awake. 

"Oh... Welcome home," she greeted him with warmth in her voice and a smile on her face.

"You waited up for me?" he asked. 

"I just got home a little while ago," she explained. "The alert on the village has been cancelled, right?"

"Yeah," he replied, unable to say anything more as he was enamoured by her beauty - not just her physical appearance, but her unyielding compassion that she dressed herself in, forever giving him more than he deserves. 

"Sarada was up until just a bit ago," Sakura told him as she lifted herself up from her seat. She continued to walk towards him as she asked, "Are you hungry?" Sasuke found himself speechless at her thoughtful actions, unable to morph an answer together. But she took his silence as confirmation as she busied herself anyway. "Give me a minute. I'll make something." 

"Sakura?" There was a slight urgency in the way he called her, but her name had left him without much of a thought. His emotions had engulfed him; he was shrouded by her love and he felt the need to express his gratitude. To _tell_ her he was sorry for missing out so much. For having her to burden so much on her own. For having to pick up the pieces time and time again. There was so much he needed to relay to her, but no amount of words could speak his heart. 

"What is it?" she asked, as she turned back towards him.

He looked into her green orbs, and felt absorbed into her kindness, the way she could easily forgive him for doing the most heinous acts. And suddenly, the words came to him - words he had said a hundred times before, because he knew she understood the feelings that spilled out with them. 

"Thanks for everything."

"What are you saying?" she asked with hints of laughter framing her words. "We're fine. So please keep looking out for everyone, Sasuke-kun."

Her words bloomed an inexplicable feeling of happiness and love, one that could not be measured in words, as he took in her words, knowing that she knew the full knowledge behind the few words that masked a thousand emotions. "Ah..." he replied, a grin surfacing on his lips.

As he took a seat on the dining table and accepted the sushi and tea he was offered, Sarada's words from before her patrol of the night lingered in his ears: 

_"Don't just protect other people, cherish your own family once in a while, you know?"_

"Hey, Sakura," he called, gesturing for her to take a seat next to him. "It's Sarada. Are you sure she's fine? She..."

He felt Sakura's hand clamp over his own and she shared her radiant smile with him. "Like I said, we're fine," Sakura repeated. "She also made a comment to me this morning, about how when you're home it's the same as when you're not-" Sasuke's brows creased at this, guilt overtaking him before Sakura washed it away with her next words, cleansing him of his sins. "-But just before she went to bed, we were talking. About you. Sarada understands now, why you have to be away. She just wishes it could be different, like the both of us. So you don't have to worry Sasuke, you do what you have to do, and we'll do what we can from here, ok?" 

Sasuke allowed his thumb to brush across her knuckles in response, gratitude stroking her skin as he did so. He thought back to his conversation with Naruto earlier. Naruto, the ever loyal friend to his two wedded-best friends, had reminded that Sakura would be lonely again if Sasuke were to leave again. Sasuke had responded back with, _"I intend to return to the village more often than before,"_ as he recalled the selfless acts Sakura had done for him over the years, and the pain he had caused her in return.

Sakura stood up to leave, imprinting her love on his forehead as she slid out of her chair. But before she could take another step towards the bedroom, he held her wrist. "Sakura," he halted her. "I want you to know..." He looked into her moss green eyes and the history between the two flickered in his own reflection as he drowned in her irises. "I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused you. I've always pushed you away, settling back into solitude when all you wanted was to help me. I lived like an island, and punished you into silence-"

"Sasuke," she soothed as she released her wrist from his grip and stroked his face. "You don't need to apologise for any of that anymore. Please don't hurt yourself by retreating back into those thoughts. Live with us in the moment, Sasuke-kun. That's all I want." She stole back her hand and hid both behind her back. "Don't stay up too late. I'll wait for you in bed." 

And just like that, he had been silenced. So easily forgiven in the face of adversity, a cloak that Sasuke had presented himself far too many times to count. He could not understand why she would not listen to his apologies, maybe the act of forgiving had tired herself out, maybe the past, too, still haunted her. He hoped it wasn't so. But he was determined to get her to acknowledge his apologies. One day. But for now, he would sleep beside her, basking in the afterglow of everything up to now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know your thoughts! I appreciate comments.


	27. Daylight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the final chapter of 'Daylight'. Thank you for reading this far. 
> 
> This final chapter aims to show snapshots of the Uchiha family life - it is heavily based upon the Boruto anime and official Sasuke novels. If you are unfamiliar with them, then I still hope this flows well. May you start reading, and allow the words to drift you away... enjoy!

The sky transcended through days and nights as easily as the world transitioned through seasons, leaving no soul behind and ensuring every being was captured within its glow. Feet pitter-pattered across hallways like the rain settling on leaves and the ground, nourishing everything it touched. And just like the rain, his wife and daughter's presence would slide through every slightest crack, nourishing the heart of a man whose harshest winters was well behind him as he enjoined in the festivities that spring brought. No matter the season, Spring was everywhere. Spring was the blooming of the flowers his wife would buy him when he came home from a mission. Spring was the sun breaking out as his daughter called him, "Papa!" with a wide grin. Spring was the chattering of birds as a family of three shared stories through dinner. Spring was the previous day's rain that faded into memory as moments were forever ingrained into hearts as minds as pink and two blacks laughed, smiled and huffed in amusement. Spring was carried by both cherry-pink and scarlet, wherever they wafted, serenity would follow.

But a part of that spring was almost lost, fading away, closing its eyes to summer and welcoming the dreary windows to autumn when his scarlet spring returned from a mission unconscious. Nights were spent holding his daughter's hands as he looked upon his wife tiring herself out from doing whatever she could to ensure both Sarada and Boruto did not have long-lasting effects from their battle. He stays with them, and pulls over a hospital blanket on his wife when she eventually tires herself out. When sleep has fully overcome her, he takes her home and places her into their bed. He undresses her and dresses her again in her nightgown, he brushes her hair and puts aside her headband. He lathers her nightly routine of her cream onto her hands and he ensures she has food to wake up to. With each passing second, dawn bleeds into the sky, signalling the birth of a new day, and just for a few hours, he leaves again. Intent on gathering what information he can on the 'Kara' group that has surfaced, his intel gathering resumes, before he takes himself back to Konoha where he is needed most for the village - and for his family.

It is midday when he visits her in her spacious office as he comes bearing lunch with her, complete with her favourite _anmitsu_.

"How is she?" he asks her as she scribbles down notes and works her way through her stacks of papers seated on her desk. Her brows are furrowed in concentration and she does not look up as she answers, "I've stabilised her, and she's awake. But there is a possibility her left eye could suffer from long-lasting effects." He notices how she bites down on her lower lip as her pen works erratically along the paper. With every scratch of pen against parchment, Sasuke loses his thoughts back to the time when Sarada suffered from optical issues because of him, for his carelessness and abrupt actions. Sasuke's thoughts spirals and they drown out Sakura's next words of, "But nothing serious showed up on her physical examinations, so that's one less thing to be worried about."

He is convinced that Sarada's current suffering is due to the mistakes that he had made so long ago, and so it is up to him to make that right again. His attention is needed at the Hokage's Office, but he has a few words to depart with before he takes his leave.

"And you? How are you, Sakura?" he asks. At this the sound of pen against paper stops, and a sigh escapes her lips.

"It's... It's been so tough, Sasuke-kun," her voice wavers and her lips tremble as she speaks his name. "My little baby... Sara-chan. To think that if her- if Mitsuki wasn't there, then- I don't know what I would have done." Her head escapes into the gap made between her arms as she sheds her fears. He strokes her hair, hoping she would find some sort of comfort in it. A few moments pass before she lifts her head up and wipes her tears away. "But I need to stay strong. And thanks to you, I've managed to do that." She manages a weak smile that she shares as she looks up at him.

"Ah, we can be strong for each other, Sakura," he says, his voice delicate as the fingers in her hair. 

It is then she notices, the pain he has been hiding. She hears it in his voice, sees it in his face. She can always see through his tough exterior and touch his heart until he melts into her. She reaches up for his arm and speaks to him. "I'm sorry, I've been so focused on Sarada, I haven't even asked about you," she whispers, as if, if she allows her words to be louder then more worries will only consume the two parents. Her breath hitches when she realises something. Her grip tightens around his arm and her eyes widen as they plead in desperation.

"Please don't blame yourself, Sasuke-kun..." her voice strains, hoping that he understands.

He looks away and says, "Take care of yourself. I won't be home tonight," and he leaves.

~

As promised, he makes himself available for his daughter when she needs him. And it is the next day that she approaches, and the day after that. He recognises her struggle as she continuously pushes herself to be stronger than she is, and as much as he understands that struggle, in the end, he is still a father. He does not want her to hurt. Even when she urges him to challenge her, he holds back, afraid she will push herself too far - or that he will be responsible for another ailment she faces. Each time she collapses, it pains him, he fears he will lose her in some form and the thought almost numbs him. Almost. But each time she comes back up, more determined than the last, he remembers one of the reasons why he's helping her: if she can strengthen herself, then she will have more in her arsenal to get back up fighting time and time again, and less time spent in the hospital, recovering from fractured bones and blurred vision. Or at least that's what he hopes.

Sasuke is the one that reminds Sarada that she needs to take breaks, and as they sit together on a rock, a topic which he hoped could be avoided with his daughter was brought up: his _mangekyo sharingan_. The events that had led up to him awakening the cursed fate of his crimson eyes was one that he would not want to befall upon his beloved daughter - the traumatic pathways of his life and the bloodshed he had to endure, even just relaying the events to her, that would be too much for either of them to bare. He did not think she was ready to bare the burden of knowing his tainted past and his crimes, and he knew that he was not ready to share that part of him with her yet. She was too pure, too innocent: he could not - _would not_ \- want to take that from her. So he refrains from giving her an answer, but his lack of an answer works against him, as it is when Sakura appears that Sarada brings up the subject of attaining eyes like her Papa's.

Misunderstandings and disagreements spark between the two females, and the offspring escapes her mother's clutches, wanting space and time as she cannot fathom why her Mama would not understand nor be supportive of the progress she is making. The mother is left in disarray, and so for once it is up to him to pick up the pieces. Console her. Sasuke brings up his defences to the point where he is convinced that even Sakura wouldn't be able to see through, he puts his emotions at bay and reiterates why he is helping their child so soon after she has barely recovered.

As Sakura falls to her knees behind him, she pours out her worries and they spill out of her like the wine she drinks at night. She harbours the same fears that he does - that something more sinister could happen to Sarada. "Isn't that all the more reason for us to teach her all the ways she can protect herself?" he says, masking the fact that he has convinced himself with the same line over and over. But Sakura already understands that much - her worries are rooted further deeper. She is afraid of the _mangekyo sharingan_ manifesting in their daughter - that their daughter, like him, would have to suffer an insurmountable amount of pain, and have to deal with the parting of a loved one.

"I can understand your anxiety," he tells her, informing her that he too shares the same concerns. For he has lived the horrors, and knows how the past can creep up to you in flashes of nightmares and creep up on you like a shadow infiltrating your thoughts.

But she brushes him off with, "No, you're not like me. You're strong, Sasuke. So you wouldn't understand this feeling."

"I'm-?" He can't comprehend why she would think that. Too many times has he buried his face in her lap, awaiting her comfort, if anything, she is the one who is strong in all senses of the word.

"There's no doubt, Sarada inherited your strength," she continues. "But she's also my daughter, and I'm the one who used to be such a crybaby. Who knows if she'll be able to endure things the way you can?" He learns of her insecurities that still fester inside of her, consuming her, clouding her vision of their own daughter. Surely she can see that it is what Sarada has inherited from her mother that makes Sasuke feel at ease, he thinks. "Things like intense training and tragedy."

He turns to her then, and speaks his mind. "I don't think you're weak," his words are simple but honest. She has had to endure so much with him - for him. There is no doubt in his mind of her immense strength mentally and emotionally. It seems that she has forgotten her strength, but he will not let her forget. As they trudge home together, he tells her, "If she's anything like you, then you have nothing to worry about." But he is unsure if his words get through to her. Instead she retaliates by further drowning in herself and grumbles incoherent slurs at him, and only apologises when they reach their home.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun. I don't know what I'm saying," she says with a forlorn expression.

"It's fine. I'm going to find Sarada now. Will you be okay?" he asks her. He only leaves when she agrees to take a nap to rest her mind, even for a little.

~

It is the next day that Sakura interrupts their training session again, but only to overtake the training, and insist she test Sarada's resolve by combat. Sasuke is aware that Sakura was out late last night with friends, and whatever they said must have helped where his words faltered. He knows the value of having friends talk you through issues, more than anyone else, and he is proud of his wife for overcoming her fears and taking the reigns of their daughter's training. More than himself, his wife can see through things in ways that his mismatched eyes can't, and as a healer, she can mend things as swiftly as her fists can crush them.

He watches his wife take on her teacher role, and he marvels at the mother she has become. She is direct with her words and even more to the point with the ferocity of her limbs. She uncovers the faults of their daughter's skills and outlines what is needed to ensure she can move forward. She is critical in her examination of her student and leaves nothing out as she unfolds her analysis. He watches as Sakura holds nothing back with each thrust of her arms and legs, their daughter her target. He holds himself back from interfering, afraid his child will get hurt, but it is only when Sarada falls back that he interjects.

"Okay, that is enough," he calls as he approaches his family. But his child is distraught, unable to accept that that is the extent of her abilities. He comforts her with praises and approval. "You did well. There's no need to rush," he tells her. "Give it time and increase the things you're able to do." His wife is in agreement with him, but their daughter is unyielding and is insistent that she can do more; she takes his words to heart and demonstrates her capability. Sarada reflects her training with her father as she challenges her mother: she copies her mother's movements and passes chakra over it, gaining momentum and eventually throwing a punch that is equal in strength to her mother's.

Sasuke is there to catch his daughter when she falls. He is so utterly proud of her as he looks down upon his child and balances her with his arm. He does not conceal the smiles that fester upon his face and settle there, making a home as he takes in his daughter who is the perfect blend of Sakura and himself. He knew he was not wrong when he thought that inheriting anything of Sakura was a blessing, a light, in contrast to his own cursed lineage. He observes fondly as Sakura takes her moment to share her parental feelings of pride with their daughter, and the smile that was on his face only widens, as it always does when he is with his family. He loves them. With all his heart, he loves them.

*... _Daylight...*_

It is later at night when they check in on Sarada in her bedroom doorway that Sasuke asks Sakura if her words about training so rigorously with Tsunade were true. 

"Ha! You think I could make such a thing up? I transformed from a useless liability to the team to someone who Konoha depends upon! That doesn't just happen overnight, you know," Sakura huffed as she crossed her arms.

Sasuke frowns as he tells her, "You're doing it again. You're putting yourself down."

Sakura shakes her head as she smiles at him in pity, whether the look is aimed at him or herself, he cannot say. "I'm just being honest," she disputes. "Besides, you're the one that told me to spend my days training instead of flirting... Am I wrong?" She pushes her tongue to her cheek and raises her brow as she challenges him to question her.

"Maybe I did say that," he admits. "But you were never useless. Not to me, anyway. I was grateful there was _someone_ on the team who had similar smarts." They chuckle in unison at the memory of their _genin_ days. "But now that you no longer need to train, you can..." He averts his gaze and a tint of red spreads across his cheeks as he finds himself unable to finish his sentence.

"I can...?" He feels Sakura's green orbs study him until realisation dawns on her face and she lets out a quiet gasp. A second later he feels her finger poke his chest as she asks him, incredulously, "Are you giving me _permission_ to flirt with you? You are, aren't you?" Sakura giggles as the flush upon Sasuke's face deepens. She edges closer until there are only a few millimetres between them. The finger on his chest becomes a hand and he spies the blush that grows on her face in his peripheral vision in the dim glow of the moonlight that slips in through Sarada's curtains. "Well..." she purrs. "For starters, I really like how you've been spending time with Sarada. She's really grateful, you know. Also, I haven't seen you smile outside like that in a long time. Your face is a work of art. Your lips really are irresist- Hey! Where are you going?!"

"Not here," he grumbles as he shoulders past her, heading to their bedroom. When he does not hear her follow he stops and turns his head slightly. Sakura's face brightens and she follows his lead as he takes her hand and listens to her charms, giving her the smile she loves so much.

*... _Daylight...*_

The world changes around them in tandem with Sarada's growth, but some things remain a constant, like their love for each other, like their loyalty to each other. Every day was brighter, every cool night felt like a warm morning. Things that seemed black and white before, like bonds and ties in an irreplaceable past, were now golden. The gleam in his child's eye when she would tease him and unravel his secrets with her mother was golden. He remembers fondly how she had deceived him into thinking that he had some of her Mama's lipstick on his lips, only to be told, "I'm kidding. Mama doesn't wear lipstick", and then, "So, Papa, you really care about Mama, huh?" He felt awkward speaking about his feelings about Sakura to anyone, but more so to his daughter, who was the result of their love for each other, and so he had told her, "We'll talk about that next time," hoping 'next time' wouldn't come.

As Sasuke passed through the jungle of trees, he only saw daylight. Daylight was the memory of why he had believed that a stain of Sakura had been left on his lips:

_Sasuke knocked on the door that stated 'Medical Director: Dr. Sakura Uchiha', before allowing himself to enter._

_"Oh, Sasuke-kun!" the world-renowned doctor greeted. "It's not like you to stop by here so suddenly. Is something wrong?"_

_"No. I just thought we could share lunch since you won't be home until late," Sasuke said, placing down the home-made food on her desk._

_His expressionless mask almost broke as he looked at his wife whose eyes crinkled in joy. "Thank you, darling. That's so thoughtful of you," she said softly. They ate in quiet as he smirked whilst she hummed in delight at her side dish: pickled plum. Soon after, he listened to her tell him of her morning at the hospital, and a surge of pride filled him as he listened to how once again her hands healed the lives of many, from new-borns to the elderly; from seasoned shinobi to inexperienced_ genin _. When she was done she looked at him and asked, "How's Team 7?"_

 _The question caught him off-guard at first, until he realised she meant the current Team 7. "Hn. They've improved. Boruto has gotten over his slump about the scientific-ninja tools, since they became my students after Konohomaru was admitted here. Sarada... she... She's become accustomed to her two-_ tomoesharingan _. Her strength is still so unbelievable. She's just like you." He thanked her wordlessly with a smile causing Sakura to flicker her eyes back and forth as she accepted his compliment._

_"Does she still remind you of Itachi-san?" Sakura asked after recovering from her flushed stated._

_"Always. Especially whenever she mentions the importance of family," Sasuke said, thinking back to an incident where Sarada had told Sasuke that if he was a criminal she wouldn't rat him out._

_"I suppose she got that from you, don't you think, darling?" Sakura asked._

_"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked inquisitively, convinced that very trait was inherited from her mother._

_"Your unconditional love for us. She inherited that from you, I'm sure," Sakura clarified._

_Sasuke edged his face closer towards Sakura's until his breath tickled her skin, leaving tingles all up her spine. "I don't know about that..." he whispered huskily to her. "But what I do know, is that I do love you unconditionally. That much is true." He tried to reflect his words with his actions by enjoining himself with her, allowing the feeling of her lips to whisk him away until he felt as if he was in a garden of paradise. When he pulled away shortly after, he whispered to her, "I'll be away for a while. I'll find Sarada before I leave. Expect a letter before I come back."_

_"That's a good idea. I'd rather not faint in front of Sarada again," Sakura laughed nervously. "Oh! You should be able to find Sarada on the 3rd floor. Konohamaru is set to be released today, so Team 7 should be visiting him. Plus, Sarada did say she was going to get some_ daifaku _for her sensei, so you'll find her there."_

_"Ah, thanks."_

_*...Daylight...*_

As Sasuke took in the sights around him, from the tree leaves that hung low to the golden light that echos through each fibre of his body and soul and every creation his mismatched eyes fell upon, Sasuke relished in the fact that everything that he could see, hear and feel were a direct contrast to his perspective of the world over fifteen years ago. Back then, his life was bleak. Dark blacks and blank whites, with hints of red spreading like wildfire through the cracks in his heart after he had learnt about his brother Itachi. But now... life held so much meaning, and he could see it in the flickers of the starlight, hear it in the wind as it brought songs of love and ardour to him _,_ and feel it in the incandescent glow of the morning rays. The joys of life could be seen in his daughter's eyes, heard in his family's laughter, and felt as he embraced his wife after an act of love-making.

Months had passed and letters would be sent and received; the two parties had mutually agreed to keep their letters a secret, as many of them were love letters - something too intimate to be shared with anyone else. He remembers a letter she had written to him only a week prior:

_My dear Sasuke-kun,_

_I hope this reaches you well. I dream of you almost every night, and I feel the chill in my bones due to your absence._

_I get lonely when Sarada is on her missions, but it is those nights that I try to take on night shifts to occupy myself._

_In my last dream, you and I were all wrinkled with greying hair. You were blind, and I had asked you if you could see one last thing, what would you see? You told me you already see it everywhere. You told me it was cherry-blossoms. And because of the fool that you are, even in my dreams, I woke up crying._

_I love you, you idiot._

_Come back to us safe._

_Always yours,_

_Sakura._

As usual, the letters from Sakura would ignite him, leaving him feeling light as if he could take on anything - no matter how many weeks he would be away from his family. Daylight was him chuckling at her letters and tracing ever word she wrote with his finger, missing her presence beside him. Daylight was the feeling he got in his chest whenever he heard of another accomplishment by his starlight, Sarada.

But on one particular day, as the day transitioned into night, he felt the coldness of the night sweep over him like an unwanted piece of clothing forced upon him, refusing to let the sun take sovereign over the sky. As he looked upon his wife's face beneath a rubble of stone and bricks, a collision of stars whirled past, and he swore that he could rip through the sky and bring her the sun, moon and all the stars if it meant keeping her alive. Sakura had accompanied him on a mission he had initially set out alone to do in order to gain more information in how to cure Naruto's chakra illness. The thought of losing her - someone he had poured all his heart into - to lose someone precious _again_ \- crumbled him. It tore him apart. He had been screaming her name, for no sound to be heard back, his _sharingan_ moving erratically left to right, left to right... until he had caught hold of a small glimpse of his own chakra. It was the chakra encased in the ruby ring he had made for her that had led him to find her battered and bruised body. With tears streaking down his face, he used the ability Sakura had entrusted onto him to bring her back to him. He worked his chakra steadily and poured it into her, aiming to also extinguish the remains of the toxins within her until she stirred within his arm. She was breathing, she was alive. She was with him.

After completing their mission, they returned home. Together. The feel of her fingers holding onto his steered away the feeling of his guts and organs twisting inside him, squeezing until no breath remained inside of him, at the sight of her almost lifeless body laying in front of him. Whenever he could, wherever he could, he would hold his lover close, reminding himself that she was still here with him. She was beside him, and she was breathing. Any distance that he had felt had been created months ago had now been closed once again. As they lay together, skin against skin, his face resting against her heart as he listened to her heartbeat, he felt her hold him close. Arms wrapped around each other.

"You've been really needy lately, Sasuke-kun," Sakura giggled.

"Are you complaining?" Sasuke asked.

"No, no! Of course not! I love it, you know that," Sakura replied without hesitation, hoping he doesn't pull away. "But... I've been worried. It's been a month since Naruto recovered from his illness and you still hold me as if you're concerned about something. Has something happened?"

Sasuke further nuzzled himself into Sakura's breasts. "I don't want to talk about it," he muttered into her, his voice muffled by her plush skin.

He felt her fingers thread into his hair as she cooed, "It might help if you do..." When he didn't reply for another minute or so, she continued with, "Whatever's bothering you, I don't want you to suffer alone. So please, Sasuke-kun..."

Sasuke started to etch the Uchiha crest onto her skin, trying to form his words before giving into her request. When he was ready he stopped his ministrations and shifted his head until he was looking up at her.

"I keep thinking about that day," he confessed. "The day you... The day I almost lost you. Sakura. Don't _leave me_."

His precious flower moved her arms from his body and settled them onto his face, cradling him. "Darling... _I love you_. I can only ever see me by your side, and you, you _saved_ me," a breathtaking smile broke across her face the same time a tear slipped out of her gentle green orbs. "Because of you, I'm still here. _With you_. It's a good thing you asked me to teach you how to heal, hm? I'm here, Sasuke-kun, I'm here." Her thumb wiped over a tear he did not know he had shed.

"Sakura," he said. "I could never lose you. This - us - it could never... it CAN'T end. You and Sarada are all I have left. If I were to lose you both... I'd never walk these streets of Konoha again." Sasuke lifted his body and hovered above her before falling onto his side and altering her position with him. He brought his forehead together with hers and closed his eyes as he felt the pain wash away over him through a droplet that slid over the side of his nose.

"I'm not going anywhere, Sasuke-kun," she consoled him through a whisper. "And I know the both of us will continue to do whatever it takes to keep Sarada safe too. But for us, it's the same. Sarada doesn't say it, but I can see it in her face when you're away. We just want to know you're safe. We'll always be waiting for you here, darling. So don't worry about us, we're fine. I promise."

Sasuke opened his eyes to look into lush green, remembering the lake they stood over, watching as the cosmos smiled down upon them: husband and wife, trading secrets of the hearts under the sky. "Thank you, Sakura," he said. His knuckles brushed over the skin under her eyes before he pulled his hand away and let it rest over hers under the blanket. "I really do want to see you with wrinkles, Sakura."

Sakura let out a soft chuckle as she said, "Seriously? Will you still love me even then?"

"Ah, of course," he answered. "How could I not? Your wrinkles will be the testament of how our love has evolved as we've grown old together."

"Is that what you want, Sasuke? To grow old together?"

"Hn. You already know that."

"I know. I just like hearing you say it," she said, joy framing her words.

"Wife. It's what I dream of," he told her as he allowed sleep to take its course and allow him to sink in as he drowned in the safety and familiarity of her love.

She was alive.

She was breathing.

She was safe.

* _...Daylight...*_

Sasuke would travel back and forth to Konoha, meetings and light-hearted curses thrown between himself and his old-time friend, Naruto; resuming the training of the basics with his student, and supporting his child with her strengthening of the _sharingan_. But what he would look forward to the most was sharing the mundane tasks with his family: making and setting dinner, assembling furniture, ironing clothes, and shopping at the market stalls.

"Papa, we can't just have tomatoes for every meal, you know," Sarada exclaimed as she eyed his basket full of tomatoes. "They're not even that nice," she grimaced.

"They're healthy," Sasuke defended himself. "You need to maintain a balanced diet."

Sarada rolled her eyes. "I know that much. Mama _is_ a doctor. Which is why I know that indulging in sweets every now and then isn't the worst decision ever. You need to chill out, Papa. Eat a cookie for once or something."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "A _cookie_ isn't going to give you the nutrition you need. Go find Sakura if these fruits offend you so much."

"A tomato is a vegetable! Isn't that why you insist on putting them in the salad?" Sarada retorted.

"Salads need tomatoes," Sasuke agreed.

A rustle in the wind caused jet black hair to sway across two faces as sweat slid down the younger human. "Papa... I think it's best if you don't make jokes. It doesn't suit you," Sarada delivered dryly, her eyes reducing to two slits behind her red frames. Sasuke set the basket of grocery down to place his hand on top of her head and ruffle her hair. He shared a small smile with her before agreeing to whatever food she suggested they buy.

_*...Daylight...*_

Roads could lead to new places, a chance to create new, fresh memories. But roads could also lead to places that bear memories of joyous moments, a picturesque scene can flit your mind to a time where you visited the spot, or similar to it, with your loved ones... or they could lead your mind down a path full of remorse and past mistakes. Sasuke's current mission had taken him to a field that lacked life. No flowers grew there, no plains of grass... But what remained were the remnants of roots that had sucked chakra out of shinobi on the battlefield. It was a war-torn land, a place where four ninja had saved the lives of the world, and had been brought back by the phantom who was known as 'The Sage of the Six Paths'. He remembers clearly what his resolve had been that fateful day... to become a Hokage and coerce the world into a revolution. His mind had been twisted, and he had eventually been beaten out of that warped mentality. Literally. However, it was not that memory that struck him. What repeated in his mind again and again was Sakura's words... how she had pleaded not to delve deeper into the darkness, to not leave again, how she was helpless in rescuing him and how her love for him tormented her. Even now, the memory of her words made him tremble... It shook him to the very core now as it did back then. How she could be so selfless with her love, always putting him first, unable to strike him down. Once again, guilt overtook Sasuke as he recalled the words he had said to her as he had trapped her into a _genjutsu_. The chains of his past haunted Sasuke even in the present, creeping up on him when he is basking in the sunlight, causing him to feel undeserving of everything he has now.

Sasuke stood in what used to be the battlefield, working through his thoughts with a pained expression on his face. It was a few hours after night had fallen, that Sasuke had decided on what to do. There was no point in continuing his pursuit if he could not fixate on the task at hand, not if he was not completely focused. It was with his _rinnengan_ that he transported back home, to his bedroom, to find his wife sleeping snugly with her back turned to him. He could not tell if she was awake or not, maybe it was for the best if he did check, he mused. He did not want to be interrupted. And so, Sasuke stood in the darkness of the room, and with each word he spoke, he felt lighter:

"Hey, Sakura," he began. "I know it's late. I know I didn't give you any notice that I was coming home tonight. But there have been some things on my mind that I wanted to, had to, tell you. I... I'm not used to speaking like this. I don't know how to... express my feelings. Dammit. And with you turned away from me on the bed right now... I'm not even sure if you're awake. Doesn't matter. If you are awake, don't say anything. And if you aren't, maybe this will all be like, some part of a beautiful dream."

Sasuke decided he wanted to start from the beginning. If he was going to do this, he might as well lay it all out in the open.

"I often dismissed you... But it's because I was afraid of my feelings for you. I couldn't let you get in the way of my quest for revenge - my mission. I was mean to you because I liked you. Look at me and Naruto. The forehead thing... was silly. I love your forehead.

"You're a healer, I'm a destroyer. We balance each other out. In fact, without my _sharingan,_ your _genjutsu_ is much more powerful than mine. I pushed everyone away... but you always gave me all your love. You're not annoying. And I forgive you for what you said about Naruto not having parents.

"When you touch me, I blush. I can't control it. But, I could ignore it. You see... that I wasn't as cold-hearted as I needed to be, and I couldn't have anyone see that. People saw it as... a weakness. I opened up to you about my past, I don't know why. You make my body, just, move on it's own. I'm not always in control around you, you confuse me.

"After our fight with Haku, when I awoke with you holding me. I couldn't let you see me cry, but I couldn't push you away either. You became... my family. And in the end, I had to make you even more. I couldn't understand romantic love before, my mind was clouded. That's... why I had to compliment you - recognise your accomplishments during the _chunin_ exams, because you never would have. It was what I always wanted my father or even my big brother Itachi to say to me. I'm sorry I've treated you the way I have. But I guess, in a way, it's helped you. Fuelled you to work harder, for my attention, for my approval. We're not really that different, you and I. I know exactly how you feel."

Sasuke found himself going through their history together back from when they were _genin,_ spilling out his heart to her so openly, so vulnerably. It was what he wanted. For her to know how deeply sorry he was. For everything. He had always said he was sorry for everything, but he had never had the opportunity to explain what he meant. When he had tried, Sakura had always shut him down, unwilling to listen, insisting that the past was just that: the past. But he _needed_ her to know every inch of him, and so he continued with his sincere apology, hoping that she truly was awake, listening attentively as he delivered his piece.

As he came to the end of his apology where he had outlined in retrospect, his perspective on events that they had trudged through and the darkness that he had succumbed to, up to the start of his journey of redemption, Sasuke began the end of his monologue:

"So, I guess what I'm trying to say, in my own fashion is... I'm sorry. And _I love you_. I've always _loved you._ I'll never be easy, I'll never be... good. But I will be yours."

Sasuke wiped his tear-stricken face with the back of his fingerless glove before undressing himself and clothing himself into more suitable attire for the night. As he lifted the duvet to take his place by his wife's side, he noticed her figure trembling, and his breath hitched at the sound of whimpering coming from her. He realised what he was hearing were muffled cries. He sunk into his spot, wondering if she was shackled to the chains of a night terror, but when the cries didn't stop he sat up and looked down at the side of her face that was not concealed by her pillow. Sure enough, her eyes were closed, but in the darkness even he could make out that she was biting down on her lip.

"Sakura...?" he asked in a hushed whisper, still unsure if she was awake or not.

"S-S-Sa-Sas-Sasuke-kun!" came the muffled response.

He slid back down and held her to his chest, resting his chin on her rosy hair. "Did you have a bad dream?" he asked.

He felt her head shift beneath him as she shook a negative. Sasuke closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, and then exhaled as he opened his eyes again. "Were you... awake? All this time?" he asked, straining his voice, hoping it was the case.

Her body began to violently shake even more as tears spilled out and she let out a desperate sound of what could only have been his name. "Sassske-kn!"

"I'm here, Sakura," he told her affectionately. "Will you let me see your face?" A shake of the head and more whimpering noises. She would not relent, and so he kissed the crown of her head. "I want to see you."

"I l-look l-like a m-mess!" came the response.

"Please... Sakura. I hate it when you're distressed. Especially if I'm the cause of it," Sasuke admitted. His face twisted in discomfort at the suspicion that she was crying due to him having her to face the terrible realities of their past. "If I knew it would have pained you so for me to say all that... I wouldn't have said it. I don't want you to cry, Sakura. All I can say now is I'm sorry. I must have brought back a lot of painful memories for you-"

"Idiot!"

Sasuke's eyes widened at her reaction. He watched in stunned silence as Sakura adjusted herself so she was now facing him, cheeks flushed and her eyes slightly tinted red from all the tears shed. Her brows were furrowed and her face was scrunched up in what he could only identify as either anger or just plain annoyance. "I'm not crying because I'm upset with what you said," she protested.

"Then why-"

He watched as the muscles on her face constricted as she struggled to not crumple in front of him. "I- I just... You- Urgh, I can't even speak!"

She scrunched up his collar in her fist as she struggled to communicate her feelings to him. "You just... You just make me so happy, Sasuke-kun. I'm crying because I've loved you for so long... and to hear, that you've had deep, sincere feelings for me for just as long- Sasuke, do you have any idea how that makes me feel?! I... I just wanted to save you... That's all I wanted. I just wanted _you_ to be happy. I didn't ever want you to face any hardship alone, and all that trauma you had faced at so young... It broke me when I found out." Sakura paused to wipe her tears away with the heel of her palm. "S-Sasuke- _kun,_ I'm emotional because you were able to open up to me so freely... To know your true feelings hidden underneath everything you've been through... To know that in some way, in some form, even though we had thought we had lost you, Naruto and I were still able to get through to that stony, cold heart of yours... Sasuke, I... I'm so happy. So so happy, for you. For us." Sasuke watched her as the tears still came running free down her face. He pulled her face into his clothed chest and planted his chin on top of her head.

It was when that he no longer heard her soft cries or the feeling of his top getting more damp that he pulled her away and looked down at her. "Are you sure you're not upset? Because I've tried apologising to you about my past mistakes before but you've always brushed it off," he said, intent on reaching her true feelings about the matter.

"That's because I just didn't want you to relive any trauma. I didn't want you to swamp yourself in the mistakes of your past when I had forgiven you already with your first apology. And I _have_ forgiven you! You don't need to apologise anymore," she begged, shaking her head as she said so. "I hope that now that you've finally said your piece though, that you can be at peace. That you never have to feel constrained by your own self. That you no longer feel a shadow lingering over you. That's all I want, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke studied the beautiful carve of her face as a single tear left him. Once again, it was her selfless love that he admired the most, what enamoured him, left him clinging onto her as if she was the very thing in existence he needed to stay alive. "You say that... But tell me, Sakura. Is it enough? Do I bring you peace?" The pain was evident in his voice, and he could tell that Sakura was working hard on how to form her answer as her emerald jewels gazed around the room, as if the answer was there somewhere. It was a few more moments before her gaze landed on him again, and she smiled at him. A smile that mended all his broken pieces back together again.

"For so long, all I wanted was for you to be home with Sarada. Do you remember? How I would make wishes to the comets you would make for me, brightening up the sky with a part of you," she touched his face tenderly and her smile grew at the memory. "All I wanted was for Sarada to have her Papa and not feel your absence... and now you've made that dream a reality. Thank you, darling. Because of you, we're happy. Because of you."

She left a soft, sweet kiss on his lips after the departure of her words. But as she moved away from him, giving him his space, his hand roamed around her body, searching for more answers, more confessions, more secrets. Soon she had started to do the same. Their lips met each other again, only freeing the other to gain some air before finding themselves lost in a heated kiss. They saw stars and galaxies swimming around them as eventually they were both clothed in only each other. Embracing their lover as if it was the last time they would ever make love, passionate and electrifying. All his scars and turmoils of the past softened under her touch; as a healer, it was only natural that she could find multiple ways to heal him, even in the most unorthodox of ways: hips thrust together until he swore that she was a mythical thing. How could such an ethereal being exist, he wondered.

"I don't know, how do you exist?" he heard whispered back to him. Apparently he had wondered his thoughts aloud, and before she could continue with her flirtations he had found a way to silence her, causing her to moan his name out in pleasure instead.

When they were done sealing their love, they lay panting side by side, an inevitable smile gracing on both their lips as they both drew erratic breaths, trying to settle themselves back to earth from paradise. Their fingers still interlocked. His thumb brushing along the ruby ring he fixed on her finger that he had found slipping out of her robe's pocket as he had relieved her from its bindings.

As his eyelashes came down, he heard her say, "When I look at you, all I see is daylight." His heart fluttered in response.

Maybe this smile was permanent.

_*...Daylight...*_

As dawn broke into the sky, the sweet promise that the previous starlit sky brought, it filtered into the room through the curtains and revealed the naked bareness that darkness had consumed. Upon seeing her, a red hue overcame his face - if not for the glimmering sunlight, it would have been clear whether the red passing over him emitted from the sun or from the blood that coursed through his body.

He looked down at where they were joined: their hands that were still interlinked. He shifted himself so he was facing and he proceeded to play with her ring, slipping it on and off her finger, a little habit of his that had surfaced whenever he was sure she was asleep. The red twinkled back at him, flashing him an array of colours that reminded him of beautiful sunsets as he stood with his lover beside him. It reminded him of auroras being awakened into the sky and splitting the dark blues of the blanket above the lands into striking colours that competed with all the colours of the earth. His eyes trailed above her bare form until it found the pastel colours of her hair - a pink that put flowers of her name to shame. He buried his nose in the softness of her strands and he gazed upon her sleeping form, willing her to wake.

Two hours had passed and he was still admiring her beauty as she slept. Although he was tired from his lack of sleep as most of the night was talking through their words and their bodies, he found staring at her brought him more peace than sleep ever could. His hand trailed over the smoothness of her skin, relishing in the serenity it brought him, until he found the skin that covered her heart, and his palm rested there as he felt the beating of her heart reverberate through his own skin.

When she finally arose, she blinked a few times taking in her surroundings until her emeralds that could see into his soul found him. She gifted him a look full of endearment that he couldn't place as anything else other than _radiant_. Her bewitching tone rang in his ear as smooth as silk as she said, "I didn't think you'd still be here."

"Hmm. But I am... Besides, I was in too deep in a meadow of flowers, I couldn't just leave as my favourite bloomed," he teased with a slight smirk. He observed her as a pretty blush grew on her features.

"Sarada's right," she managed to mumble out. "You shouldn't joke... It doesn't suit you."

He chuckled as he sat himself up. "Do you want breakfast?" he asked.

"No, it's okay," Sakura replied. "When you're not home Sarada usually brings me breakfast when I don't have a morning shift and if she's not on a mission. She has a mission later on, so she'll be waking up soon."

Sakura sat up too and yawned and stretched her arms up high. "I think I'll have a shower first," she announced. "Care to join me?" Sakura winked at him.

Sasuke regained his stoic exterior as he answered her. "If Sarada's home, then no," he replied. A small pout formed on her lips causing him to release some air through his nose. He brought two fingers together and poked her forehead earning him a light blush at the affectionate gesture. _Next time._

_*...Daylight...*_

Husband and wife sat on the living room couch as the 'Konoha Daily News' buzzed in front of them, a white noise to the couple who had dozed off as their heads rested against each other. It was when he heard a clattering sound behind him that Sasuke awoke and turned around to see his daughter all flustered as she struggled to maintain the balance of two mugs and some light breakfast on a tray.

"Papa?!" she exclaimed in surprise.

"Ah, Sarada. I'm home," he greeted his pre-teen daughter who was gawking at her parents as her feet remained rooted to the spot.

"Y-you and M-Mama..." she lost her words as she gestured towards the pair with her chin, seemingly startled at seeing her parents showing affection to each other. _Both_ her parents.

"Hn. Sakura didn't sleep much last night so she's just catching up now," he explained. He beckoned his daughter closer as she walked towards him, tray still in hand. "Here. Sit with Sakura. I'll make my own breakfast." He was about to nudge Sakura off him and stand up when Sarada stopped him by placing down the tray abruptly on the tea table and placing her hands up in protest.

"N-no! It's okay! Uh... You and Mama can rest!" she insisted. "I'll make you breakfast, Papa!" Sarada grinned cheekily as a light blush adorned her cheeks.

Sasuke rose a brow at her retreating form and couldn't help but think he had been granted two adorable girls.

_*...Daylight...*_

A spark. An undercurrent of feelings swamped over him - once the same volts of chakra had haunted him through his adult life, taunting him as he was tormented by the memories of him using those same sparks to leave trails of blood, marking his victims. Aiming his charge at his beloved. But now it was a symbol of life. On her hands, it was a symbol of hope. He watched as his daughter copied his hand symbols as she gained her momentum by running down a tree, a spark of a _chidori_ in her hand as she practised the _jutsu_ he had handed over to her. He smiled as she rang out a ferocious, "Shannaro!" as she aimed at a tree trunk.

Explosion.

The tree had been cut down as easily as his hair had been snipped by his wife. Wood scattered around the field like fireworks lighting up the sky, and Sarada slumped to the ground, only to land on her Papa's lap. She was exhausted, it had been the third time she had used the _chidori_ and she was flat out of chakra at this point.

"I... can keep... going..." Sarada panted.

"No," Sasuke denied her, his grip on her arm tightening. "That's enough. Don't you have a mission later today?"

Sarada's head fell to her father's shoulder as she gave in to him. "Yes..." she admitted. "But we set out after light! So I can still-"

Sasuke shook his head before adding, "You're still new to the _chidori_. You need to give your body some time to recover. No more training for you today."

Sarada sighed, "Fine, Papa... but I still need to meet up with Boruto and Mitsuki later before our mission to go through our plans."

"Hn. But nothing else before your mission," Sasuke said, trying his best to remain stern with his adorable pea- daughter.

Sarada slowly got up from her father's lap and steadied herself with her own two feet. When she stumbled, her father grabbed her again, but she insisted she could walk. "It's okay, Papa," she reassured him with a slight pant. "Thank you for supporting me though." She smiled up at him, and father and daughter walked back home just in time for lunch with the matriarch of the family.

_*...Daylight...*_

It was after lunch that Sasuke went to see Naruto at his office and update him on the status of his current mission.

"It's strange for you to a halt a mission so abruptly," Naruto commented raising an amused brow at his best friend. "Not that I'm complaining. It seems that you got everything under control. And it's good you're spending some time with Sakura-chan and Sarada-chan now. Even Boruto seems more cheery-"

"That battlefield," Sasuke cut in. "I'm thinking of going back and inspecting it more thoroughly with my _rinnengan_. It's likely some White Zetsu cells remain, or even our own cells."

"You don't need to be in any rush, Sasuke," Naruto responded. "I don't think this 'Kara' group are interested in us, anyhow. Besides, I can get Sai and his ANBU team on it if you can't."

"Don't worry about it. I'll probably depart tomo-" Sasuke's words were interrupted by a high-pitched yell outside.

Both Sasuke and Naruto headed out onto the Seventh Hokage's stone face to see what the commotion was about.

"WOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOO! IF YOU BECOME A PRO AT _CHIDORI_ THEN WE REALLY WILL BE THE BEST LIGHTNING STYLE TEAM THIS VILLAGE HAS EVER- OW! SARADA!" Boruto yelled as Sarada pulled him by the ear.

"Shut up, you dork!" she seemed to hiss at him by the reading of her lips. "It's just a C-rank mission, so don't get ahead of yourself!"

Sasuke felt an elbow nudge him as he looked down below at their two offsprings.

"They really are like us, huh, Sasuke?" he heard Naruto say.

"Hm. The idiot has an idiot son," Sasuke retorted back.

"HEY!" Naruto yelled back, his eyes becoming round orbs in frustration. "Boruto looks up to you, you know! That isn't a way to speak about your student! Or the Hokage! Dattebayo!"

"But even idiots have their talents," Sasuke said as he shared a small smile with Naruto.

Naruto blinked several times, not used to receiving direct compliments from the Uchiha, before flashing a massive toothy grin.

Sasuke's smile grew slightly wider before his gaze averted to their younger copies again. He was confident that the future was bright and secure with a Hokage as golden as daylight. The man who made dreams come true with his own hands - or his own words.

_*...Daylight...*_

Wind breezing through his hair as black as coal, as if whispering soothing words to the fine strands that swayed atop his head that glistened with the setting sun raining down on him. As the streaks of pinks, reds, oranges and purples moulded into each other and painted the sky with its artistic touch, dusk hung over them as the light slowly shied away behind the few clouds in the sky. Candy floss hovered over the lands as the same coloured hair tickled the handsome man's jaw. Sakura rested her head against his shoulder as they sat upon the bench where memories were stowed away, locked into an unspoken locket of fate, waiting for it to be unravelled once again by the two who loved each other.

The two proud parents wished farewell to their daughter as she departed for her mission. Sasuke looked at his young family, eyes soft with fondness as he looked at the ageless jade eyes that shone with a strength he admired in her. Her eyes lit up the surrounding area even as nightfall crept up on them with each ticking second. Her eyes reflected the child that they had born fruit to: Sarada's face was slightly flushed as she attempted to brush off her parent's affections. After all, it was rare for her parents to send her off for a mission. But despite her seeming embarrassed, it was clear to even Sasuke that she was grateful to her parents for their attention; their love.

As she said her final goodbyes, the young Uchiha waved with a grin that wormed itself onto her face, unbidden as she walked off with her team before hissing something along the lines of "Stupid Boruto". 

He sat with the pink-haired nymph, her head resting on his shoulder as they sat upon their bench, watching the sky alternate its beautiful colours as each colour slowly faded into each other, reflecting the dancing aurora lights into deep greens and bottomless onyx eyes. One moment the aurora lights were a pathway leading to heaven, the next they were scattering in all directions, as if dispersing its beauty and kissing the earth with its grace, shimmering and illuminating every life with hope and neon lights even in the night sky. Within the waterfall of colours that held up the sky with its myriad swirled rainbows, the colours that stood out to him the most were pink, green and golden. Always golden. 

And as the moon casts its spell across the lands, concealing its secrets with its comforting darkness, Sasuke nudges her shoulder with his and wills her to face him. He looks into the endless jade orbs of serenity and sees all the best bits of his past, present and future in it. Through it all, he sees her. He sees her with her candy-floss hair dancing in the wind as it sings its lullabies, and he sees her with her care-free melodic laughter and her winning smiles that makes his heart grow wings and escape into the stars. He sees her holding their new-born babe who mirrors his own features, and gives him more light; another reason to live; another thing to love; another reason to protect the beautiful glow of the world. He sees her, and oh he loves what he sees. Perhaps she is known for wearing her heart on her sleeve, but he is sure his is stuck in his throat. His breath is taken by her beauty, by her compassionate grace. He is taken - and words fail him. Words do not flow, and so he can only gift her a smile that is so wide, anyone passing would be unsettled to see _the_ Sasuke Uchiha smiling as affectionately as he does. He is glad the night blankets his face from any onlookers, and is even more grateful that there is no one else around to see them. He only hopes that Sakura - his wife, his lover, the one who holds the key to his heart - can see and understands.

He sees the tint of pink rise on her cheeks and his eyes soften at the sight. He feels her hand clasp over his and tighten.

He leans in close, awaiting her to do the same. However, her lips choose another course of action. She speaks. Her words are beautiful, a reflection of her own soul.

"I know, Sasuke," she says. Her voice a harp to his ears as it plays a melodious song. "I love you too."

_You are my world_ , he almost says. But she knows it. She proves it by joining her lips with his, and it is a confession of love, but oh, so much more. He wants all her sleepless nights and lazy mornings; she wants all his secret smiles and his forehead pokes. So they promise to give what the other wants to receive, and it is with that kiss that hearts are aligned, and peace is forged into the world, forever embedded into the bench that they sit at knowing full well that if anything had happened different in their past, the present would still be the same. They would always have found each other. Because their love knows no bounds, and he has been freed from the darkness by gold dust. 

As their lips part, their hands are interlinked in between them and they tell each other of their plans for when tomorrow comes. His mission still stands as he is forever indebted to the golden Hokage for where he is now and who he has now in his life. She understands, and lets him know it's okay, she will wait. As she always has done. Her hand finds his heartbeat and she whispers to him, 

"I'll always be your home. No matter where you are. I'll be here to welcome you back." 

It is home where he wants to stay. 

It is at home tonight that he will demonstrate to her what she means to him. 

"Thank you."

_I want to be defined by the things that I love._

He holds Sakura close to his chest as she snuggles into him, a smile set on her lips. Eyelashes touching skin, cheeks flushed. 

He thinks of his daughter, and hopes she is safe. Confident in her abilities as a ninja, he is sure she is.

_Not the things I hate._

_Not the things that I'm afraid of... the things that haunt me in the middle of the night- I_

His mind flickers to all the turmoil that has befallen him over his years, and he is glad he is no longer living that life full of torment and solitude.

_I just think that - you are what you love._

He is the father of Sarada Uchiha, and husband to Sakura Uchiha.

He is Sasuke. And his heart is full of light and beats for them.

And so it goes, even in the darkness, the world is bathed in daylight.

[END]

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for coming to the end! I've really enjoyed exploring the different layers of the complex Sasuke Uchiha, and I hope that so have you! 
> 
> Initially, I had only started writing this to promote/explain my Sasuke - Daylight AMV which you can (please) watch here: 
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwK5LYX2Gkw
> 
> This story was only supposed to be a few short chapters showcasing snapshots of Sasuke's life as he enjoys what life brings thanks to his friend from saving him from the darkness. However, as I kept writing, ideas would flood through me and I had found myself wanting to explain unanswered questions left by the anime/manga of the Uchiha family. Such as the story behind Sarada's sharingan, how did Sasuke fall in love with Sakura, how does Sasuke really feel about being absent for so many years from Sarada? Too many times I had thought "only a few more chapters then I'm done", but I just kept on getting more ideas as I fleshed out my story!
> 
> Thank you to Kishimoto for his brilliant imagination and creativity in creating our beloved characters with their complicated histories. Thank you to Taylor Swift for her immaculate song writing skills - I'm convinced she's secretly a SasuSaku fan and she's based some of her songs on them.
> 
> I would love to hear your comments on this final chapter and my fanfic overall, and I hope to see you on my next one (A modern Sakura-centric SasuSaku AU - I've currently got the beginning and middle planned out in my head!) 
> 
> I'm really sad to be letting this go and ending it as I have loved to write and explore Sasuke's thoughts and feels, but I am planning to write a continuation of this as more anime episodes are released, so I'll make another 'book' for that sequel. And it's crazy because Sasuke was probably my hated character once upon a time, but now I have 4 AMVs and a whole-ass fanfic dedicated to his character. Lmao. My 13 year old self is quaking.
> 
> Also, out of curiosity, how did you find this story? AO3, Tumblr or somewhere else? Let me know! 
> 
> \- RezuuRoar


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